Iga Świątek was imperious earlier tonight, as she defeated Naomi Osaka in double-quick time.
The Polish superstar was relentless from the off, and in the end, the 6-2, 6-1 scoreline was indicative of a dominant display.
However, for the 28-year-old, it was an evening to forget.
Nearly two years on from one of her best performances since returning to the sport, where she pushed Iga Swiatek all the way in just the second round of Roland Garros, it was sad to see how easily Naomi Osaka was defeated.
She has now tried to rationalise why this happened.
Naomi Osaka reacts after losing to Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open
Speaking at her press conference, the Japanese tennis legend was unsurprisingly downcast whilst answering questions.
As such, her responses were short and offered relatively little insight, even admitting at one point that she didn’t quite know why the match was so one-sided.
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First asked what the key difference was, Osaka admitted: “Honestly, I’m not so sure. I think honestly, I felt like she played really well. Maybe this clay was suited a little bit more for her.
“But I also feel like, I don’t know, there’s something I could have done more, but I’m not really sure what.”
Another reporter then suggested that Swiatek’s fine form in Rome could be cause for consolation for Osaka, but she replied: “Not really, no. I’m a perfectionist.”
She concluded by outlining what she’ll try to take from this loss into the French Open, adding: “I mean, just trying and fighting. Obviously, this match wasn’t ideal for me, but I’ll just take a couple of days to process it and figure out what I can do better next time.”
Given how Osaka initially reacted to being told she’d be facing Swiatek next, it should come as no surprise that the match turned out the way it did.
Jamie Murray praises ‘dominant’ Iga Swiatek’s performance
Whilst the match will go down as a poor showing from Osaka, for Swiatek, this was exactly what she needed.
There have been plenty of questions aimed at the former world number one and six-time Grand Slam champion of late, particularly as she has failed to return to her dominant former self on the clay.
However, with the way in which she is cutting through this Italian Open draw, there’s reason to believe that she might be back.
Jamie Murray certainly suggested as much, reacting live on Sky Sports.
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He stated: “It was a dominating performance. She did not need any help from Osaka. After that first set, she went from strength to strength. Controlled the middle of the court with heavy hitting. She returned very well too, especially second serve, it was hard for Osaka to get the ball out of the strike zone.
“A lot of balls landed in the middle of the box, and she could not get the ball beyond her shoulders in these conditions, and Swiatek took full advantage.
“She will feel very good about herself after that performance against a player of Osaka’s calibre.”
