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French Open: World No. 1 Naomi Osaka escapes first round upset

By Alex Butler
Naomi Osaka of Japan is looking to win her third consecutive Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open in Paris.  Photo by David Silpa/UPI
Naomi Osaka of Japan is looking to win her third consecutive Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open in Paris.  Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo

May 28 (UPI) -- Naomi Osaka, the world's top women's tennis player, avoided an upset loss to Anna Schmiedlova in the first round of the 2019 French Open on Tuesday in Paris.

Schmiedlova claimed the first set 6-0. Osaka held a 3-0 lead on the Slovakian in the second set, before needing to break Schmiedlova's serve twice to remain in contention. Osaka won the second set with a tie break 7-6 (4). She dominated the third set 6-1 to advance to the second round.

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Osaka had 10 aces and had 38 unforced errors in the 1:54 match. Schmiedlova is No. 90 in the Women's Tennis Association's world rankings.

She will face former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the second round on Thursday at Roland Garros. She is looking to win a third consecutive Grand Slam title. She won the U.S. Open before winning the Australian Open final in January in Melbourne.

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American Madison Keys also won her first-round match, beating Evgeniya Rodina in straight sets. Monica Puig also beat Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets in her first-round match.

Azarenka beat Jelena Ostapenko to advance to her second round matchup against Osaka.

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