Osaka edges Zakharova in two tiebreaks in US Open opener

Naomi Osaka opened her US Open campaign with a 7-6, 7-6 win over Anastasia Zakharova, a straight-sets result that was far tighter than it looks. Neither set could be separated before a tiebreak, and in those moments Osaka's serve was the difference: she struck 11 aces to Zakharova's none and won 75.0% of her first-serve points against the Russian's 61.9%. Both players struggled to find the box, Osaka landing 50.6% of first serves and Zakharova 47.2%, but the Japanese was steadier behind the second ball too, taking 51.3% of those points to 46.8%. It was a hard-earned passage into the second round.