Naomi Osaka rides out challenge from Katie Boulter at Gippsland Trophy; Ashleigh Barty, Sofia Kenin, Simona Halep win

US Open champion Naomi Osaka extends her winning streak to 13 matches but only after riding out a stiff challenge from Katie Boulter to beat the Briton 3-6 6-3 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals of the Gippsland Trophy; Johanna Konta falls to Irina-Camelia Begu as Dan Evans opens with a win

By Adebimpe Isaiah 

Britain's Katie Boulter makes a backhand return to Japan's Naomi Osaka during a tuneup event ahead of the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Image:Katie Boulter could not stop Naomi Osaka from extended her winning streak to 13 matches

Britain's Katie Boulter gave a great account of herself but could not stop Naomi Osaka from extending her winning streak to 13 matches at the Gippsland Trophy on Wednesday.

Boulter beat teenage American Coco Gauff in the second round of the Australian Open warm-up and another upset looked on the cards when she matched her Japanese opponent's power-hitting to take the opening set on Margaret Court Arena.

The second-seeded Osaka, who won the Australian Open in 2019, raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set but the 24-year-old Briton would not fold and had break points of her own.

But Osaka upped her return game considerably to wrestle back the momentum and level up the match before running away with the third set and sealing a 3-6 6-3 6-1 win.


Naomi Osaka of Japan in action against Katie Boulter of Great Britain in a third round match of the Gippsland Trophy Women's Singles tournament prior to the Australian Open Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne, Australia.

Image:Osaka  will face Irina-Camelia Begu in the quarter-finals

Osaka will face Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu in the quarter-finals after she upset fifth seed Johanna Konta 4-6 7-6 (12-10) 7-6 (7-4), with the world No 79 pushing the Briton for three-and-a-half hours."

After I lost the first set I thought I just want to fight as hard as I can," said Osaka, who is playing her first WTA tournament since securing her second Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows in September.

"She was playing really amazing and I thought 'if I lose okay, but I have to give it my best shot'. I like to play long matches, and I played a short match yesterday so maybe I made myself play a long match today."

Ashleigh Barty of Australia pass the ball over the net for the next match to proceed during the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open on January 30 2020, at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jason Heidrich/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

Image:Ashleigh Barty showed no signs of fatigue as she advanced (Photo by Jason Heidrich/Icon Sportswire)

Top two seeds Ashleigh Barty and Sofia Kenin overcame steep challenges to reach the quarter-finals of the Yarra Valley Classic in Melbourne and keep their Australian Open preparations on course.

World No 1 Barty showed no signs of fatigue from having played a late match on Tuesday and started in top gear against Marie Bouzkova at the Margaret Court Arena before winning 6-0 4-6 6-3.

"Coming off a night match, I had to get used to going to bed quite late again," Barty, who hit 42 winners to her opponent's 17, said.

"I'm an early riser, so I didn't get a hell of a lot of sleep last night, but it's fantastic to be back out here.

"It was a really solid match. I felt like I pressed a little bit in the middle and lost my execution, but I'm glad to have won and get another opportunity to play tomorrow."

The 2019 French Open champion will next face American Shelby Rogers, who ousted Croatia's Petra Martic 7-6 (7-1) 6-3.

Sofia Kenin makes a forehand return to compatriot Jessica Pegula during tuneup event ahead of the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Image:Sofia Kenin rallied for a three-set win against Jessica Pegula

Australian Open champion Kenin appeared to be heading for the exit door against fellow American Jessica Pegula when she fell 3-0 back after losing the first set but the feisty 22-year-old found her range and rallied for a 5-7 7-5 6-2 win.

French Open champion Iga Swiatek crashed out of the tournament with a 6-4 6-2 loss to Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova while Simona Halep had a more routine passage into the last eight with a 6-2 6-4 win over German Laura Siegemund.

Third seed Elina Svitolina also came from behind to see off Jelena Ostapenko 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-2 to set up a date with Belgian Elise Mertens.

Dan Evans, of the United Kingdom, returns to Andrey Rublev, of Russia, at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Image:Dan Evans progressed to the third round of the Murray River Open

Dan Evans progressed to the third round of the Murray River Open with a straight-sets victory over Portugal's Pedro Sousa as the world No 33.

The eighth seed, who received a bye in the first round, dispatched the 108th-ranked player 6-3 7-5 at Melbourne Park, where he will next meet Marcos Giron after the Canadian defeated France's Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-4.

Elsewhere in Melbourne, Heather Watson made an early exit at the Grampians Trophy as she lost 6-2 6-2 in her opening round match against the 36th-ranked Russian Veronika Kudermetova.

Watson only left hotel quarantine on Friday and said prior to the tournament she was "not putting a lot of pressure on myself" as she focuses on the Australian Open.


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