Naomi Osaka and Matteo Berrettini Shine in China and Japan Open Upsets

Former top-ranked tennis player Naomi Osaka and Matteo Berrettini delivered impressive performances in the opening rounds of the China and Japan Opens, respectively. Osaka defeated Lucia Bronzetti with a routine victory as she returns after a hiatus, while Berrettini won against Botic van de Zandschulp.

Naomi Osaka, a former top-ranked tennis player, kicked off the China Open with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 win over Italy's Lucia Bronzetti on Wednesday. The four-time Grand Slam champion, gracing the opening day as the headline act, needed just 83 minutes to close out the first-round match against the No. 77-ranked Bronzetti.

Osaka, who last won the China Open in 2019 before subsequent cancellations due to COVID-19 and a WTA boycott, will next face Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in the second round. "I'm glad that I'm able to play on this court again," Osaka expressed on court. The Japanese star broke Bronzetti twice more in the second set, capitalizing on her strong serve to secure victory.

In the Japan Open, Italy's Matteo Berrettini began his campaign with a solid 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp. Berrettini, once ranked sixth in the world and now 45th, fired seven aces and broke his opponent's serve four times. He could face top-seeded Taylor Fritz in the second round if Fritz wins his opening match against Arthur Fils.

(With inputs from agencies.)