The draw for the Saint-Malo tournament has been released. Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka is scheduled to play against 19-year-old Croatian Petra Marcinko in the opening round. Her potential path through the draw could see her face No. 6 seed Olivia Gadecki in the quarterfinals and No. 4 seed Caroline Dolehide in the semifinals. Other significant players in the upper half of the draw include top seed McCartney Kessler, No. 7 seed Viktorija Golubic, and promising French teenager Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
Naomi Osaka is set to compete in a WTA 125 tournament, the L`Open 35 de Saint-Malo, next week. She received a wild card entry for the event, marking her first participation at this level in ten years.
The tournament organizers announced Osaka`s late inclusion via social media on Thursday, stating the former world No. 1 is ready to “make some noise” in her first appearance here.
This appearance follows extensive clay court training in France with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, where she reportedly felt “stronger” and prepared for tough matches. However, she recently lost in the first round of the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open in three sets to Lucia Bronzetti, her first match since a fourth-round exit at the Miami Open.
According to WTA rules, players ranked 11th or lower who are eliminated from the second week of a Grand Slam or a mandatory WTA 1000 event are permitted to play in a WTA 125 tournament during that time.
Osaka`s only previous WTA 125 participation was in Hua Hin, Thailand, in November 2015, where she finished as runner-up. Now, she returns to this level aiming to get more match experience on clay, a surface she is still working to master.
Her season record stands at 9-5, but she has won only three matches against three losses since January, partly due to an abdominal injury that led to retirements in the ASB Classic final and the Australian Open fourth round.
The main draw competition starts on Monday. Ranked No. 55, Osaka is anticipated to be the second seed in Saint-Malo, behind world No. 53 Alycia Parks. The player field also includes top seed Varvara Gracheva, Americans Caroline Dolehide and Katie Volynets, and former Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria.
Since gaining WTA 125 status in 2021, the tournament has been won by players like Beatriz Haddad Maia and Sloane Stephens. Jasmine Paolini was the runner-up in its first year at this level.
