Miami Open: Naomi Osaka Stages Comeback To Win First-Round Match

Naomi Osaka staged a determined comeback to defeat Yuliia Starodubtseva 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Miami Open on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, marking her first victory since the Australian Open.

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, struggled early against Starodubtseva, a qualifier riding momentum from back-to-back wins.

After dropping the first set and falling behind in the second, Osaka dug deep, extending rallies and forcing errors to turn the match around. The battle lasted 2 hours and 28 minutes under the Miami sun.

“I knew that I wasn’t playing too well, but I thought, let me try to stay on the court as long as possible because I consider Miami my home,” Osaka said in her post-match interview. “I was going to run into every corner if I had to, and we were going to have to play for three hours if she was going to beat me.”

The win is a crucial milestone for Osaka, who retired mid-match against Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open due to an abdominal injury and subsequently missed the rest of January and February.

She made her return at Indian Wells last week, where she suffered a disappointing loss to Camila Osorio, calling it the “worst match” of her career.

Currently ranked No. 61 in the world, Osaka now faces 24th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round on Friday, March 21. The pair have split their two previous encounters, with Samsonova winning in Indian Wells last year and Osaka taking their Madrid clash.