Naomi Osaka will kick off her title defense at the 2022 Australian Open on Monday. She'll be aiming to win a fifth Grand Slam title and her third in Melbourne.
In the first round, the Japanese will play Camila Osorio who is a rising star and challenging opponent. Osaka is fresh off a semifinal showing at the 2022 Melbourne Summer Set. She did withdraw from the tournament due to an injury. But considering it was because she played back-to-back matches after a long time, she should be ready after a week's rest.
Where is Naomi Osaka playing?
Osaka is competing at the 2022 Australian Open, which is the season's first Grand Slam. She won the title twice here, in 2019 and 2021. This will be her fourth attempt at defending a Grand Slam title. So far she has been unsuccessful in her title defenses, with a fourth-round showing at the 2019 US Open being her best result.
Osaka's path to the title is quite difficult this time around. Should she come through her first couple of matches, she will face Belinda Bencic in the third round. A win against Bencic will be followed by Ashleigh Barty in the fourth round.
But in 2021, she defeated players such as Serena Williams and Garbine Muguruza, even saving two match points against the Spaniard, en route to the title. At her best, very few can go toe-to-toe with the Japanese.
Who is Naomi Osaka playing against?
The four-time Grand Slam champion is set to kick off her 2022 Australian Open campaign against Camila Osorio. This will be the first meeting between the two. This is Osorio's first Australian Open.
This will also be the 20-year old's first match of the year. She hasn't competed since reaching the final of the Tenerife Open in October 2021. Her best performance at a Grand Slam so far has been a third-round appearance at last year's Wimbledon.
Naomi Osaka vs Camila Osorio match schedule
Osaka's match will be played on the Rod Laver Arena on Monday (January 17). Her match will be the second of the day session, followed by the match between Maria Sakkari and Tatjana Maria.
Match timing: The match is set to begin at approximately 1 pm local time. For fans in the USA, UK and India here are the broadcast timings.
Naomi Osaka vs Camila Osorio streaming details
Viewers from the following countries can catch all the action live on the respective channels and sites:
USA: For viewers in the USA, ESPN, ESPN2, and the Tennis Channel will broadcast all the first-round matches.
UK: UK viewers can follow the proceedings on Eurosport.
India & Subcontinent: Viewers can watch the action on Sony Six.
For more information regarding the broadcast of the 2022 Australian Open, click here.
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