Naomi Osaka is enjoying a strong week in Rome as she continues to make improvements on the clay.
Four-time Major champion Osaka lost her first match on clay this year at the Madrid Open, against Lucia Bronzetti, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6.
Bouncing back, Osaka won a WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo, France, beating Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan in the final.
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Carrying that form forward to the Italian Open, she won her opener against Sara Errani, before Osaka took down Viktorija Golubic to book her spot in the third round.
Having won her seventh consecutive match on clay courts, Osaka named another clay specialist as her favorite tennis player during her post-match press conference.
Naomi Osaka says Jelena Ostapenko is her favorite player even though they are ‘polar opposites’
Speaking to the media after her 2-6, 7-6, 6-1 win over Golubic, Osaka shared her thoughts on her favorite WTA player.
“People know I say [Jelena] Ostapenko is probably my favorite player,” she said.
“I really love her a lot. I think she’s the exact polar opposite of me. She’s just fun to me.
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The Japanese star then named another player, ranked outside the top 30, who she believes is ‘killing it’ in 2025.
“[Belinda] Bencic, I really respect her a lot and also think she’s a polar opposite of me in terms of, you can count on her to win the matches, she’s supposed to,” said Osaka.
“Me, I’m a little more of a wild card. I just really like both of them. Obviously, Bencic came back, and she’s killing it, and that inspires me to do better.
“Ostapenko, she just won Stuttgart. They definitely push me a lot.”
Both Bencic and Ostapenko have won WTA 500 titles in 2025, as they continue to impress on the WTA Tour.
Belinda Bencic won the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open – Beat Ashlyn Krueger in FJelena Ostapenko won the 2025 Stuttgart Open – Beat Aryna Sabalenka in F
Ostapenko’s win over Aryna Sabalenka in the Stuttgart final was one of the most impressive of the year, as she powered past the world number one in straight sets.
The Latvian has grown quite a reputation for causing upsets in 2025, having already secured four top-five wins during the early stages of the season.
MatchOpponentOpponent’s rankJelena Ostapenko’s rank2025 Stuttgart – FAryna Sabalenka1st37th2025 Stuttgart – QFIga Swiatek2nd37th2025 Qatar Open – SFIga Swiatek2nd24th2025 Qatar Open – 3RJasmine Paolini4th24thJelena Ostapenko’s top-five wins in 2025
She’ll no doubt be on the lookout for a fifth as the Italian Open tournament heads into week two.
How are Naomi Osaka, Jelena Ostapenko and Belinda Bencic performing in Rome?
Osaka has made her way into the third round of the Italian Open with wins over Errani and Golubic, setting up an intriguing clash with Czech star Marie Bouzkova.
The pair have played one another twice before, with Osaka coming out on top on both occasions.
2020 Australian Open 1R – Naomi Osaka beat Marie Bouzkova, 6-2, 6-42021 US Open 1R – Naomi Osaka beat Marie Bouzkova, 6-4, 6-1
Bencic’s Italian Open campaign hasn’t been nearly as successful, however, winning just two games in her opener against Maria Sakkari before retiring due to injury at the end of the first set.
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Ostapenko, on the other hand, was victorious in her second-round match, battling back from a set down to beat Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova.
She’ll now return on Saturday, May 10, to play Laura Siegemund for a place in the Italian Open fourth round.
All three players could finish the tournament ranked inside the world’s top 50, an impressive achievement, considering both Osaka and Bencic returned from maternity leave recently.
Live rankingNamePointsItalian Open status21stJelena Ostapenko2,0753R*37thBelinda Bencic1,409Lost in 1R51stNaomi Osaka1,0933R*Live WTA Rankings
It remains to be seen just how far Ostapenko and Osaka can go in the Italian capital, but it’ll certainly be worth tuning in for as the third round begins on Saturday, May 10.
AloJapan.com