Naomi Osaka faced an early setback by losing the first set but managed to overcome Leylah Fernandez with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory in the opening round of the Wuhan Open, a prestigious WTA 1,000-level tournament. Returning to Wuhan after four years, Osaka encountered the opponent who had previously defeated her at the 2021 U.S. Open.
Fernandez capitalized on one of her two breakpoint opportunities in the first set and maintained solid serving. However, Osaka intensified her service returns in the second set, leading to a competitive exchange of five service breaks before ultimately outplaying the 2021 U.S. Open finalist.
In another match, Emma Raducanu, the reigning U.S. Open champion, retired from her first-round clash against Ann Li due to dizziness when trailing 6-1, 4-1. Sofia Kenin secured a hard-fought victory over Anastasia Zakharova with a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 scoreline, setting up a second-round encounter with the 16th seed Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated Emiliana Arango.
Upcoming matches included No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek’s debut against Marie Bouzkova in the evening session, while top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 seed Coco Gauff were set to begin their campaign the following day. Unfortunately, No. 4 seed Amanda Anisimova withdrew from the Wuhan Open due to a left calf muscle injury after clinching the China Open title.
Meanwhile, Canadian tennis player Gabriel Diallo exited the Rolex Shanghai Masters after a tough three-set battle against Zizou Bergs of Belgium, losing 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the round of 16. With Diallo’s elimination, Felix Auger-Aliassime remains the sole Canadian contender in the tournament and is scheduled to face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the upcoming round.
