The currently fifth-ranked Simona Halep will enter the match with not much to build on to. It seems that she is having trouble building rhythm as of late, as evidenced in having lost four of her last six matches, and five of her last eight on the hard court. Additionally, she’s yet to post consecutive wins in 2017.
Everyone in the world of tennis is also noticing her struggles when serving, which could probably be due to a knee injury that she may still be nursing. The performances she displayed in the losses to Kristina Mladenovic and Natalia Vikhlyantseva, among others, are quite uncharacteristic; far from to the energetic, intense, and scrappy style that made her earn a spot as one of the sport’s current elites.
Her attempt at finally finding a good footing may be good against Osaka, who she had already beat just last year. In that encounter, she prevailed despite dropping the first set, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Naomi Osaka advanced after dusting off Kristina Kucov in the previous round, 6-2, 6-3, where she won 78 percent of her first-serve points and 46 percent of her second-serve points.
The 19-year-old, as you may have noticed by now, is one of the most intriguing youngsters in the sport. She’s currently placed at the 56th spot in the women’s rankings, but with her recent showings, we should see her climb that list soon. Among them is the good run at the Indian Wells Masters, where she eased past quality opponents Risa Ozaki and Shuai Zhang in straight sets.
Though Osaka ultimately fell short in her attempt last year to upset Halep, we can still consider her to have a real, solid chance. The Japanese tennis phenom has no shortage of confidence, and the power she possesses coming from the baseline and behind the serve may prove to be dangerous against her rusty opponent.
Writer’s Pick:
Halep (-200) wins after surviving a tough challenge from Osaka.
