Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova are going to face off in a finger-licking first round at the French Open. Naomi is ranked only no.38 and therefore, she is not seeded in Paris. For this reason, she was very well aware of the possibility of clashing against a top player already in the first round.
During the press conference that precedes the French Open, Naomi commented:
“I had a dream a couple days ago that the draw came out, and I had to play Iga. Like for me, I was scared because I was thinking, like, what’s the worst possible player to play when I’m unseeded. She came into my mind, so thank God that didn’t happen.”
Talking about facing Anisimova, Naomi revealed that the news was broken by her coach Wim Fissette. Her first reaction was: “Are you joking?”
Naomi lost to Amanda in the recent Australian Open when the Japanese sensation was unable to convert 2 match points. Naomi commented:
“I wouldn’t say like I don’t want to play her, because I feel like for me I’m the type of person that if you beat me, like it motivates me more to win and I also learned a lot from the match.
I feel like there is a possibility that playing her on clay might be better for me, just because I think I hit a heavier ball, and I don’t know why I’m telling you this, because this is also like my strategy. So I think it will be a great match.”
Thoughts on that opening round blockbuster? 🤔#RolandGarros |@naomiosaka pic.twitter.com/DASAaqbPl3
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 20, 2022
Naomi Osaka in 2022
LLWWLWLWWW Currently the world no.38, Osaka played her last match on the 1st of May when she was defeated by world no.39 Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-3 6-1 in the 2nd round in Madrid (draw).
This season the Japanese has a compiled 12-4 match record. Naomi Osaka’s most significant result of the present year was getting to the final in Miami.
Amanda Anisimova in 2022
LWWLLWLLLW Ranked no.28, Amanda played her last match on the 13th of May when she was defeated by world no.7 Aryna Sabalenka 4-6 6-3 6-2 in the quarter in Rome (draw).
Currently, during this season Amanda has achieved a composed 20-8 win-loss record. The American conquered 1 title in Melbourne.
Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova fought against each other only on 1 occasion. Their current head to head is 1-0 for Anisimova. When they played, Amanda Anisimova won 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) in the 3rd round in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 21st of January 2022.
You can see them in action in the following highlights.
Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova |
| Embed from Getty Images |
