Former Miami Open finalist Naomi Osaka overcame a first-round challenge from Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva. Osaka recovered from a set and a break deficit to win with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a match lasting 2 hours and 28 minutes.
Miami: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Osaka, the 2022 Miami runner-up to Iga Swiatek, had been on a winless streak since reaching the third round of the Australian Open in January. In Australia, she retired due to an abdominal injury while trailing Belinda Bencic. More recently, she experienced a first-round defeat at Indian Wells against Camila Osorio, a match she described as the `worst of her career.`
This period has been frustrating for Osaka. She reached the final in Auckland at the beginning of the year and felt she was in strong form before the abdominal injury disrupted her momentum. This setback contributed to her nervousness at the Sunshine Double events this year.
`I want to compete with the best players, and I see everyone performing so well, which motivates me to do the same,` she told reporters. `However, I need to remind myself that improvement is a gradual process.`
Osaka stated that she learned from the loss to Osorio as she faced Starodubtseva for the first time.
`I knew my level wasn`t at its peak, but I focused on staying in the match as long as possible because Miami feels like home to me,` Osaka said in her on-court interview. `In Indian Wells, I was over-hitting, so I made a conscious effort to use my legs more. I was prepared to chase every ball and play for three hours if that`s what it took to win.`
Starodubtseva has had a challenging season, with only one win in her nine matches in 2025 before Miami. However, the 25-year-old Old Dominion University graduate found success in Miami qualifying, defeating Varvara Lepchenko and Tatjana Maria, and pushed Osaka hard. Starodubtseva quickly took a 5-0 lead and later reached a position to win the match at 6-3, 4-2.
Osaka, a former World No. 1, didn`t need the full three hours, but demonstrated resilience to secure her fourth three-set victory of the year. Her next opponent is No. 24 seed Liudmila Samsonova, against whom she has a 1-1 record from last year. Samsonova won their Indian Wells match, while Osaka won in Madrid.
Turning point: For the first set and a half, Starodubtseva, ranked No. 108, executed a near-perfect tactical game. She effectively handled Osaka`s power, returning shots with excellent depth, and skillfully redirected the ball for winners and opened the court with sliced backhands. Despite some hesitation while trying to close the first set, Starodubtseva saved three break points early in the second set and hit a precise forehand winner to break for a 4-2 lead.
Two games later, she had two opportunities to extend her lead to 5-3. However, she made errors on both points and conceded the break back by sending a forehand long. Osaka capitalized immediately, delivering a love service game to take a 5-4 lead. Starodubtseva couldn`t recover, netting a volley and hitting a backhand long to lose the set in the following game.
Osaka`s first serve percentage was only 47% in the first set, and she won just 57% of those points. However, her serve improved in each set, and she was nearly perfect in the final set. She achieved a 58% first serve percentage and lost only three points on her first serve. She faced two break points in the fifth game of the final set and successfully saved both.
Osaka`s initial struggles in the first set began with consecutive double faults, leading to a break in the second game. However, she recovered to hit 10 aces in the match and closed out the victory with two consecutive service winners.
