Naomi Osaka swept to her first victory at the French Open in three years on Sunday, setting up a potential showdown with Iga Swiatek, as Carlos Alcaraz maintained his record of never losing in the first round of a Grand Slam.
Osaka, a four-time major winner who has yet to get past the third round in Paris, needed three sets to defeat Italy’s 48th-ranked Lucia Bronzetti on the showpiece Court Philippe Chatrier, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.
The 26-year-old fired 31 winners, including six aces, and 45 unforced errors in a match where she gave up a 4-0 lead in the decider before finding herself 5-4 down.
However, she rallied strongly to register her first win at a Grand Slam since the 2022 Australian Open.
“It feels really nice to be back and I’m just really grateful to be here in front of everybody,” said Osaka.
“I think there were moments when I played really well.”
The Japanese star, a former world number one now at 134 in the rankings, has endured a bittersweet relationship with the French capital.
In 2021, she was fined for opting out of mandatory media commitments before withdrawing from the tournament in order to protect her mental health.
A year later, she fell in the first round before leaving the sport in September 2022 for 16 months to give birth to her daughter.
Top seed and defending champion Swiatek, chasing a fourth French Open, will face Osaka if the Pole gets past qualifier Leolia Jeanjean on Monday.
World number three and reigning Wimbledon champion Alcaraz eased to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 win over America’s J.J. Wolf, the 107th-ranked player who entered the main draw as a ‘lucky loser’ from qualifying.
Alcaraz, 21, who made the semi-finals in 2023 where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic, took his first-round record at the majors to 13-0.
Alcaraz showed no sign of suffering from the right arm injury which sidelined him from the Rome Open as he coasted to victory on the back of 27 winners and nine breaks of serve.
