In front of a packed house in Stadium 1, Naomi Osaka overwhelmed Danielle Collins with a world-class display of on-court abilities. A nearly flawless performance proved too much for the American to handle, resulting in a 6-4, 6-2 triumph for Osaka.
The BNP Paribas Open defending champion, who began her journey back to the title with a straight set drubbing of Kristina Mladenovic, finished off another victim in abrupt fashion. Collins was unable to mount any significant attack, as a result of both self-inflicted errors (seven double faults) as well as a steady dose of dominant service by the Japanese.
For Collins, the world No. 25 who burst onto the scene with a semifinal run at January’s Australian Open, it was a disappointing performance. Looking to improve upon last year’s 4th round appearance, she’ll have to wait a little longer to continue her ascent up the WTA rankings.
Meanwhile, the defending champion looks right at home in the desert. Since winning the 2018 BNP Paribas Open title, Osaka captured two Grand Slam trophies and became the quickest player to rise from No. 10 to No. 1 in WTA history.
While defending her title in Tennis Paradise won’t be easy, she’s made it look like as much so far.
A quick turnaround meets Osaka next, as she faces world No. 23 Belinda Bencic on Tuesday evening.