Article by David Istrate – published on Sunday, 04 May 2025, 21:00 / Updated Sunday, May 04, 2025 21:49
Naomi Osaka (27 years old, 55 WTA) won Open by Saint-Malo, a 125-point challenger, after a final awarded in front of Slovak Kaja Juvan (24 years, 515 WTA), score 6-1, 7-5. It is the first title obtained by the winner of Grand Slam in more than 4 years.
In 2023, being pregnant, Naomi Osaka entered the maternity break, her daughter being born on July 7. After returning to the tennis court, the Japanese tried to return to the form he had at the end of the last decade, but for various reasons, he failed.
The beginning of 2025 was marked by numerous medical problems, and Osaka had a balance sheet below his expectations: 9-5. The best performance of the 27 -year -old player came in January, when she reached the final of the Auckland tournament, being forced to withdraw.
Year 2025 for Naomi Osaka
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Final at Auckland (forced to retreat)
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Tour 3 at Australian Open (forced to retreat)
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Tour 1 at Indian Wells (4-6, 4-6 vs. Camila Osorio)
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Optima at Miami (6-3, 4-6, 4-6 vs. Jasmine Paolini)
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Tour 1 in Madrid (4-6, 6-2, 4-6 vs. Lucia Bronzetti)
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Title at Open by Saint-Malo (6-1, 7-5 vs. Kaja Juvan)
In this context, Osaka made the decision to move to a lower level and to register for a 125 -point WTA tournament. So Patrick Moratoglou's student participated in Open by Saint-Malo, in a town in northwestern France.
The decision became fruitful and the double winner of Wimbledon and the Australian Open advanced phase after the phase, reaching the final of the tournament. There, after a first dominant and more balanced set, Osaka awarded his title in front of Slovak Kaja Juvan: 6-1, 7-5.
Naomi Osaka's record at Saint Malo
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Tour 1: 6-2, 6-1 vs. Petra Marcinko (19 years old, 220 WTA)
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Optimum final: 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 vs. Diane Parry (22 years old, 116 WTA)
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Quarters of final: 6-3, 6-4 vs. ELSA JACQUEMOT (22 years old, 143 WTA)
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Semifinals: 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 vs. Leolia Jeanjean (29 years old, 107 WTA)
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Final: 6-1, 7-5 vs. Kaja Juvan (24 years old, 515 WTA)
“Quite ironic that I won my first trophy back on the surface I thought I play the worst. This is one of my favorite things in life, it is always a place of growth and evolution. I thank all those who accompanied me on this trip. I know it's turbulent, but it's also fun and I'm grateful, ”Naomi Osaka wrote on X.
For the athlete born in Osaka, the title from Saint-Malo is the 8th of his career and the first after the one in February 2021, when he won at the Australian Open.
Beyond the winning trophy, the result in France can come with an extra moral for Naomi Osaka.
