Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka won the first match she's played since May, beating Zheng Qinwen 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. (More Tennis News)
Osaka hit 11 aces and saved 7 of 8 break points in the hard-court tournament that serves as a tuneup for the U.S. Open.
Osaka had not played anywhere since a first-round loss to Amanda Anisimova at the French Open on May 23.
The former No. 1-ranked player was bothered by her left Achilles tendon during that defeat, then cited t⭕hat lingering injury when she pulled out of Wimbledon in June.
Osaka won the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2020.
Next up for Osaka is Coco Gauff, who ♉won her match 6-0, 6-1 over Anhelina Kalinina. Osaka leads their head-to-head series 2-1, including a victory over Gauff at the 2019 U.S. Open. Gauff was the runn⛦er-up at this year's French Open.
Another past champion at Flushing Meadows, 2019 winner Bianca Andreescu, lost Tuesday in San Jose, beaten 6-4, 6♏-2 by Shelby Rogers.
In other first-round action, qualifier Elizabeth Mandlik won her WTA debut, defeating Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-3, 6-3, and No. 9 seedꦯ Veronika Kudermetova beat Camila Giorgi 7-6 (2), 4-6, 7-5.
