Naomi Osaka defeated Eva Lys, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, in the second round of the Italian Open.
But her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, wasn’t there to watch her.
Who do you think will win the women’s Italian Open this year? 🏆
During her post-match press conference, Osaka explained why.
Naomi Osaka says Tomasz Wiktorowski told her he would miss her first match in Rome
“He has, like, a personal thing that he had to go do,” she said.
“But he told me about it beforehand.
“It wasn’t like he just dipped out on me.”
Osaka was still well supported by her team, though, as she shared who was encouraging her instead.
“That’s Matias [Zukas]. He’s my hitting partner,” she said.
“He takes on the role of coach when Tomasz [Wiktorowski] isn’t there.”
She later spoke about Wiktorowski’s importance when asked how she approaches scouting a player she’s never met before, like Lys.
“Honestly, I kind of leave that up to my coach,” said Osaka.
“I have a pretty big talk with him before.
“But honestly, we were coming off, like, a pretty good confidence momentum since Madrid.
Coco Gauff’s 2026 clay-court record (3-1)
- Madrid Open 2R [WIN] vs Camila Osorio, 6-2, 7-5
- Madrid Open 3R [WIN] vs Anhelina Kalinina, 6-1, 6-3
- Madrid Open 4R [LOSS] vs Aryna Sabalenka, 7-6, 3-6, 2-6
- Italian Open 2R [WIN] vs Eva Lys, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
“Obviously that was like a week and a half. I don’t even know. It was a minute ago.
“I feel pretty confident in my tennis.
“I think there are certain things that I want to improve on, but just building, building for me.”
Osaka has lost just one match on clay this year, against her fellow four-time Grand Slam champion, Aryna Sabalenka.
If she can keep this form up, she could be one to watch in Rome and Roland Garros…
Liam Broady makes Naomi Osaka prediction after watching her beat Eva Lys
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, British tennis star Liam Broady delivered his verdict on Osaka’s win over Lys.
“What a match that was, it was a titanic battle of wills,” he said.
“Eva Lys did herself proud there. I actually thought she played very well.
“Made such a match out of it, where many players would have gone away after that first set with the way [Naomi] Osaka was playing.
“Osaka will be a real danger going into this tournament.”
Broady is confident in Osaka’s chances, but who else could she play in Rome?
Naomi Osaka’s Italian Open draw
| Round | Highest-ranked potential opponent | Potential seeded opponents |
| 1R (Bye) | – | – |
| 2R (Win) | Eva Lys (80) | – |
| 3R | Diana Shnaider (20) | [19] Diana Shnaider |
| 4R | Iga Swiatek (3) | [4] Iga Swiatek |
| QF | Jessica Pegula (5) | [5] Jessica Pegula, [20] Liudmila Samsonova |
| SF | Elena Rybakina (2) | [2] Elena Rybakina, [7] Elina Svitolina, [17] Madison Keys, [32] Hailey Baptiste |
| F | Aryna Sabalenka (1) | [1] Aryna Sabalenka, [3] Coco Gauff, [8] Mirra Andreeva, [9] Jasmine Paolini, [12] Belinda Bencic, [13] Linda Noskova, [16] Iva Jovic, [21] Elise Mertens, [22] Anna Kalinskaya, [26] Sorana Cirstea |
Osaka will return to take on Russia’s Diana Shnaider in the third round.
If Osaka wins that match, she is likely to meet the Pole, Iga Swiatek, in the last 16.
Swiatek is a former three-time Italian Open champion, but looked far from her best during her second-round win over Caty McNally.
She does, however, hold a 2-1 winning head-to-head record against Osaka, and hasn’t lost to the Japanese star in seven years.
But if Osaka can upset Swiatek, she can look forward to a potential quarter-final tie with Jessica Pegula, a semi-final against Elena Rybakina, and a final vs Sabalenka.
The 28-year-old may need to beat the top five players in women’s tennis if she is to lift her first WTA title on clay.
It remains to be seen what Osaka can achieve in Rome, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Osaka will first play Shnaider in the third round on Sunday, May 10.
