Third seeded Naomi Osaka of Japan will face Serbian Qualifier Olga Danilovic in the Second Round of the 2021 US Open. The match is scheduled to be played on Wednesday September 1st, 2021 at 12:00pm EST.
Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka has been making headlines lately, for everything other than her tennis. She will be looking to let the racquet do the talking here at the US Open, and has started in dominant fashion. There is no denying that when she is in form she is one of the best players in the world, and she is attempting to retain her title from last year. Can the young Serbian Olga Danilovic spoil the party and cause the massive upset here in New York?
Naomi Osaka is currently ranked #3 in the world and is the third seed here at the 2021 US Open. She is a former world number one and is the reigning champion here in New York. However, she has been in terrible form lately, and if she is to challenge for the crown here she will have to improve drastically. Her preparation for this event was not ideal as she lost in the Second Round in Cincinnati and her confidence must be low, coupled with all of the distractions that come with the backlash that followed when she stopped doing media interviews earlier in the year. She started strongly though, and overcame a tough opponent in Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-1 in a dominant performance. If she is at her best there are very few that can stop her, and if she is able to gain some traction she could be a top contender here. Osaka is the overwhelming favorite here against Olga Danilovic and is not expected to encounter any issues here.
Olga Danilovic is currently ranked #145 in the world and entered the 2021 US Open via the Qualifying Rounds. The young Serbian is a strong player but her inexperience may cost her here. She made the most of her good First Round draw by defeating Alycia Parks of the USA in a solid straight-sets victory. The lefty has a tricky game and her groundstrokes are solid, but she lacks the power to be able to trouble the defending champion Naomi Osaka. This is the biggest match that she has ever played, and nerves will almost certainly be an issue. She is one for the future, but is up against it here against possibly the best player in the world and one of the main contenders for the title here in New York.
This will be the first time that the two players are meeting on the WTA Tour, and I am expecting nothing less than a quick and comprehensive victory for Naomi Osaka. Simply put, she is the far superior player, and her opponent is very inexperienced. Osaka always saves her best tennis for the big stage, and there are few bigger stages than here at the US Open. The Japanese superstar loves this event and is the defending champion. She won’t lose to an inexperienced Qualifier here at her favorite tournament. Naomi Osaka will win here, advancing to the Third Round here at the 2021 US Open with ease.