Overview:
Naomi Osaka won her first WTA title since 2021 and her first ever on clay, marking a comeback after maternity leave and sparking pride among her fans of Haitian heritage.
By the Associated Press – Additional reporting and editing by The Haitian Times
SAINT-MALO, France (AP) — Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka claimed her first WTA title since triumphing at the 2021 Australian Open — and on her seemingly worst surface.
Osaka beat Kaja Juvan 6-1, 7-5 Sunday to win L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo — a WTA 125 tournament — and secure her first ever trophy on clay.
It was also the Japanese player’s first WTA title since she became a mother in July 2023, returning to tennis at the start of the following year.
“Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst,” Osaka wrote on X. “That’s one of my favorite things about life though, there’s always room to grow and evolve.”
“Thanks to everyone accompanying me on this journey, I know it’s turbulent but it’s also really fun and I’m grateful.”
The win also marked another proud moment for Osaka’s Haitian supporters. Just weeks earlier, she celebrated a victory at the Miami Open by draping a Haitian flag over her shoulders, days after tweeting about France’s historic debt to Haiti.
Born to a Haitian father and Japanese mother, Osaka spent part of her early years training in South Florida and has long embraced her Haitian roots.
In 2018, she visited Haiti, met with government officials, and was named a goodwill ambassador for Haitian sports. Her family helped fund a school in Jacmel, and she later launched the Osaka Foundation, which supports tennis and education programs for children in Haiti.
The former world No. 1 rose to No. 48 in the WTA rankings this week.
Osaka has two Australian Open and two U.S. Open crowns on hard courts but has a subpar record at the French Open and pulled out of the clay-court tournament in 2021 before the second round to take a mental health break.
The 27-year-old’s clay-court season had started with a loss in the first round of the Madrid Open last month.
The French Open starts May 25.
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