Osaka advances, Nishikori falls in Miami tennis openers

World number one Naomi Osaka had to keep her emotions in check as she opened her campaign at the WTA and ATP Miami Open on Friday by outlasting Yanina Wickmayer 6-0, 6-7 (3/7), 6-1.

Since winning her second consecutive Grand Slam title in January at the Australian Open, the Japanese star has failed to go deep in Dubai or Indian Wells. But she appeared in solid form against 141st-ranked Wickmayer, despite losing her way in the middle of an entertaining match at Hard Rock Stadium.

The 21-year-old was forced to dig deep after the Belgian, who reached the Miami Open last eight in 2010, forced a third set as Osaka's game badly dipped.

"In the second set, I got really emotional, so in the third, I just tried to shut off my feelings," Osaka said.

"I started thinking about winning and not the things I could do in order to win. I had a dip and she started playing really well.

"It's normal, it's my first match here, and I wasn't able to defend the title in Indian Wells so I wanted to do well.

"I just had to breathe and regroup. I find myself doing it often when I am in emotional situations, it's like an energy saver.

"Rather than being riled up for every point I can just move on to the next one.

"When I close out my emotions, I just feel like I am a shell," she added.

"I don't celebrate or react after points. I get really hyper quickly if I start bouncing around a lot so I try not to do that."

Naomi Osaka of Japan returns a shot to Yanina Wickmayer during the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, March 22, 2019. /VCG Photo

Osaka readily admits dealing with the pressure of being the best in the world is very much a work in progress. However, she is keen to ensure her charge for a first Miami Open title remains on an even keel.

"I don't think about that I am number one in the world and have won two Slams," she said. "The main goal is to win the tournament I am playing in."

She also admitted that the shadows on the new main court at Hard Rock Stadium had caused some difficulty midway through the match. "My eyes aren't what they used to be," she smiled. "It was a little bit hard to see the ball sometimes."

Elsewhere, Venus Williams beat Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6, (7/4), 6-1 to move into a third-round meeting with 14th-seeded Daria Kasatkina from Russia.

Chinese number one Wang Qiang,who made the round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Tennis Open earlier this month, was hardly tested before beating Britain's Johanna Konta 6-4, 6-0 to advance.

Next,Wang will confront Serena Williams, who survived a scare on Friday with emphatically losing the second set before seeing off Sweden's Rebecca Peterson 6-3, 1-6, 6-1.

On the men's side, there was a disappointment for Osaka's compatriot Kei Nishikori. The fifth seed lost to Serbian Dusan Lajovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 but reigning champion John Isner outlasted Italian qualifier Lorenzo Sonego 7-6 (7/2), 7-6, (9/7).

(CGTN)