Naomi Osaka came from a set down to continue her winning streak against Marie Bouzkova and book her place in the Italian Open last 16 on Saturday. (More Tennis News)
Naomi Osaka will meet Peyton Stearns, who knocked out Australian Open champion Madison Keys earlier, in the next round
Naomi Osaka came from a set down to continue her winning streak against Marie Bouzkova and book her place in the Italian Open last 16 on Saturday. (More Tennis News)
It was an eighth consecutive win for Osaka on clay as she triumphed 4-6 6-3 6-3 in just under two and a half hours.
Osaka started with an aggressive approach, forcing two break points in Bouzkova's first service game, but could not take advantage.
Bouzkova did take her opportunity, though, getting the only break of the first set in the seventh game, and she held on to take the lead.
Osaka responded brilliantly, racing 3-0 ahead and extending that lead further to 5-1, with the opportunity to serve for the set. Bouzkova pulled two games back, but her attempted comeback was quickly cut short.
In the decider, the 27-year-old quickly pulled ahead, gaining a 3-1 advantage, and though Bouzkova attempted to chip away at it, Osaka dug deep to get the win over the line.
Osaka will meet Peyton Stearns, who knocked out Australian Open champion Madison Keys earlier on Saturday, in the next round.
Also through to the round of 16 is home favourite Jasmine Paolini, who beat Ons Jabeur in straight sets.
She took just 73 minutes to breeze through, winning 6-4 6-3 for the second consecutive match in Rome to set up a meeting with Jelena Ostapenko.
Paolini is the first player to reach her maiden round of 16 at the Italian Open after having turned 29 since Petra Martic in 2021, while she is also the first Italian to reach this stage of the women's singles since 2014.
Data Debrief: 'Clayomi' keeps on winning
Osaka looks to have finally found the winning formula on clay, and after clinching her first title on the surface last week, she is continuing to make strides in Rome.
It was her second consecutive comeback win in Italy, showing her mettle as she looks to win her first WTA 1000 event since 2019.
She has 11 quarter-final runs in such events under her belt, including two which resulted in titles (Indian Wells 2018, Beijing 2019), and will face Stearns for the first time in her career as she aims to make it nine wins on the bounce.바카라 웹사이트