No. 14 Osaka off to a trouble-free start

In the Wimbledon Ladies' Singles first round, 14th seed Naomi Osaka won in straight sets against her French opponent Elsa Jacquemot. The four-time Grand Slam champion won the match, played on grass, 6-1, 7-5 to book her place in the second round of the main draw. The contest lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes.

In the first set, Osaka produced her most effective tennis. Giving her opponent little room with hard serves and aggressive groundstrokes, the Japanese player took the set by a clear 6-1 to make a fast start. That edge let her take control of the match from the outset.

The second set was more closely contested. With Jacquemot raising her resistance, Osaka was troubled at times; but the experienced player firmed up her service games at the key moments and managed to break her opponent's serve, taking the set 7-5 to close the match out in straight sets. The statistics show Osaka's edge in winners produced and on return shaped the course of the match.

For a player with four Grand Slam titles who has been through an up-and-down period in recent years, this win was an encouraging start on grass. Entering a Grand Slam steadily matters for a player's confidence too. Through to the second round, Osaka aims to lift her form during the grass-court season and to make progress at the tournament.

By the numbers (Jacquemot-Osaka): Score 1-6, 5-7 · Winners 15-34 · Unforced errors 20-22 · Break points won 1/10 - 4/9 · 1st serve points won 56%-76% · 2nd serve points won 41%-53% · Time 1:20

Image: AP News