Osaka sets blockbuster second round clash against Svitolina in Miami

Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka moved into the second round of the Miami Open by winning against Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4 at the Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday night.

The win sees Osaka on the cusp of reentering the world’s top 200. Last time she played here in Miami, in 2022, she made the final.

The 26-year-old described her win over Cocciaretto as, “probably my best match in terms of short making” with Osaka landing an excellent ratio of winners to unforced errors across the one hour, 18 minute encounter.

Osaka, ranked No 229, will face No 15 seed Elina Svitolina next.

“She’s really tough,” said Osaka of the upcoming match against Svitolina. “I was watching her last year and I was admiring all her runs at Wimbledon. It’s gonna be an incredible honor to play against her.”

Miami WTA 1000, other first-round results (Hard Rock Stadium, hard, USD 8.770.480, most recent results first):

• Storm Hunter (Q) beat Martina Trevisan: 6-3, 3-0 ret.
• Katie Volynets vs. Sofia Kenin: wednesday
• Donna Vekic beat Karolina Pliskova: 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
• Nadia Podoroska (Q) beat Ashlyn Krueger: 6-4, 6-2
• Viktoriya Tomova beat Tamara Korpatsch (LL): 6-2, 6-4
• Arantxa Rus beat Sara Sorribes Tormo: 6-0, 6-3
• Shelby Rogers beat Linda Fruhvirtova (WC): 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
• Danielle Collins beat Bernarda Pera (LL): 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
• Claire Liu (Q) beat Petra Martic: 6-4, 6-1
• Emiliana Arango (Q) beat Tatjana Maria: 6-2, 6-3
• Sloane Stephens beat Angelique Kerber: 6-2, 6-3
• Elina Avanesyan beat Erika Andreeva (WC): 6-0, 3-6, 6-1
• Lin Zhu beat Marie Bouzkova: 6-2, 6-4
• Maria Timofeeva (Q) beat Varvara Gracheva: 6-3, 6-3
• Camila Giorgi beat Magdalena Frech: 6-4, 6-2
• Diane Parry beat Jaqueline Cristian: 7-6 (2), 6-2
• Yulia Putintseva beat Cristina Bucsa: 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
• Lesia Tsurenko beat Magda Linette: 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
• Paula Badosa beat Simona Halep (WC): 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
• Xiyu Wang beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Q): 6-1, 6-3
• Brenda Fruhvirtova (WC) beat Maria Lourdes Carle (Q): 6-3, 6-3
• Taylor Townsend (Q) beat Lucia Bronzetti: 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Caroline Wozniacki (WC) beat Clara Burel: 6-1, 6-4
• Katerina Siniakova beat Ana Bogdan: 6-2, 6-4
• Laura Siegemund (Q) beat Aleksandra Krunic (Q): 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
• Diana Shnaider beat Venus Williams (WC): 6-3, 6-3
• Clara Tauson (Q) beat Caroline Dolehide: 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
• Peyton Stearns beat Yafan Wang: 6-2, 6-3
• Xinyu Wang beat Hailey Baptiste (WC): 7-6 (1), 6-3
• Daria Saville beat Shuai Zhang: 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
• Yue Yuan beat Anna Blinkova: 6-4, 6-2