Japan tennis star Naomi Osaka has claimed her first WTA title since taking a maternity break with victory at L’Open 35 De Saint Malo in France.
The four-time Grand Slam champion earned the WTA 125 title by defeating unseeded Kaja Juvan of Slovenia 6-1, 7-5 in the final on Sunday (4 May). The second seed did not face a fellow seeded player on the road to silverware.
Osaka’s victory in France is her first career honour on clay and the eighth singles title of her career, lining up with her two Australian Open and two US Open crowns apiece. It is also the 27-year-old’s first title since her most recent major, the 2021 Australian Open.
The former world No. 1 will rise to No. 48 in the WTA rankings on Monday, which would be her highest position in the world rankings in three months. Osaka will be in the main draw of the next Grand Slam, the French Open, in just over two weeks.
Osaka gave birth to her daughter in July 2023 and returned to the WTA Tour at the start of the 2024 season having been out of action since September 2022.
The two-time Olympian was the final torchbearer at her home Games in Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021), returning for Paris 2024 where she made the first round.
AloJapan.com