NAOMI OSAKA LOSES IN BERLIN TO ‘TOUGH OPPONENT’ QINWEN ZHENG, KATIE BOULTER WITHDRAWS FROM BIRMINGHAM CLASSIC

Qinwen Zhang continued her impressive progress in recent months with victory over former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka. The 21-year-old came through in three sets, 6-4 3-6 6-3, and afterwards paid tribute to her “tough opponent” as she qualified for the last 16. Later in the day, Ons Jabeur is also in action in Berlin, while British No. 1 Katie Boulter plays in Birmingham.

Qinwen Zheng claimed an opening win at the Berlin Open after coming through an entertaining three-set first-round clash against Naomi Osaka.
The 21-year-old showed impressive maturity against the former world No. 1, as the tournament’s sixth seed set up a second-round clash with Katerina Siniakova.

Speaking after her 6-4 3-6 6-3 win, Zheng said: “It was really hard because I got four match points and she served really well. Naomi Osaka is a great player, who has a strong serve and works hard.

“This win means a lot and it’s never easy to play against her. I’ve played against her across all different surfaces: hard, clay, and now grass court.
“It’s a tough opponent to have in the first round, but I’m happy that I did my best today and to get my first win in this tournament in my third year.
“This year I had good preparation, and I’m really happy to win my first match in Berlin because this is one of my favourite countries as well.”

“This win means a lot and it’s never easy to play against her. I’ve played against her across all different surfaces: hard, clay, and now grass court.
“It’s a tough opponent to have in the first round, but I’m happy that I did my best today and to get my first win in this tournament in my third year.
“This year I had good preparation, and I’m really happy to win my first match in Berlin because this is one of my favourite countries as well.”