Naomi Osaka vs. Camila Osorio
The night session will feature a contest of wide interest: Naomi Osaka’s first match since she was forced to retire at the Australian Open, as well the warm-up event in Auckland, with an abdominal strain.
Osaka’s rise began in Indian Wells in 2018, when she tore through the draw as an unseeded 20-year-old, won the title, and won the US Open five months later. Now 27, she has been looking for a similar spark since returning to the tour at the start of 2024, but hasn’t quite found it yet. She looked sharp in Auckland and Melbourne with new coach Patrick Mouratoglou, only to be foiled by the same injury in both places.
Osaka and Osorio, a 23-year-old clay-courter from Colombia, have played once, three years ago, and Osaka won 6-3, 6-3. At the moment, their rankings are comparable—Osaka is 56, Osorio 53. But judging by Osaka’ form so far in 2025, they won’t stay that way for too much longer. Winner: Osaka