Naomi Osaka said her straight-sets victory over Ons Jabeur in the Canadian Open demonstrates her growing confidence. (More Tennis News)
The four-time grand slam champion defeated world number 16 Jabeur 6-3 6-1 in her first-round match in Toronto.
Osaka바카라s victory follows her early exit in the Olympics where she lost in straight sets to Germany바카라s Angelique Kerber last month at Roland-Garros.
Away from the clay courts, the Japanese player felt the surface and her opponent brought out the best in her in Canada.
바카라Everyone knows I really love hard court,바카라 said Osaka. 바카라So I don바카라t know, I wasn바카라t really thinking too much.
"It felt very instinctual and honestly when I play the best players like Ons I tend to play better."
The former world number one returned to tennis earlier this year after giving birth to a daughter in July 2023.
Now, Osaka believes she is beginning to build momentum again after her hiatus.
바카라I think if you바카라ve been following my journey a little, I go through mountains and hills. But now I바카라m feeling quite confident in myself as a person and a player and I think that showed a little,바카라 she explained.
바카라Hopefully I can continue to play a lot more matches, but I think I just really love playing tennis and it바카라s been an honour to play such a great match in front of everyone.바카라
