French Open 2022: Amanda Anisimova vs Naomi Osaka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: (27) Amanda Anisimova vs Naomi Osaka
Tournament: French Open 2022
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €21,256,800
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten
Amanda Anisimova vs Naomi Osaka preview
World No. 28 Amanda Anisimova will take on four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the first round of the 2022 French Open. The American defeated the Japanese in the third round of the Australian Open in January and will be hoping for an encore in Paris.
Anisimova has been quite consistent through the clay season so far. She started off by reaching the semifinals of the Charleston Open, defeating players like Aryna Sabalenka and Yulia Putintseva before falling to Ons Jabeur.
At the Madrid Open, Anisimova once again defeated Sabalenka, ending the Belarusian's title defense in the first round. She then beat Petra Martic and Victoria Azarenka before going down to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals.
She continued her fine run of form at the Italian Open, where she defeated Tereza Martincova, Belinda Bencic and Danielle Collins to reach the last eight. Once again, she was up against Sabalenka, but this time, the Belarusian was able to pull out a win.
Anisimova will turn her attention to Roland Garros, where she look to bag her maiden Slam title.
Trying to cool down in this heat like 🥵 https://t.co/2d19d8vkui
Osaka, on the other hand, has had another disappointing clay season by her standards. Her first tournament on the red dirt was the Madrid Open, where she started off on a strong note, defeating Istanbul champion Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round. The Japanese lost 6-3, 6-1 to Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round.
One time for the fit, one time for the match. https://t.co/6lC2nwb1qq
Osaka was then scheduled to compete at the Italian Open. She was slated to face Sorribes Tormo once again, but withdrew prior to the tournament due to an injury. With just a couple of matches under her belt on clay, the former World No. 1 heads to the French Open a little underprepared.
Amanda Anisimova vs Naomi Osaka head-to-head
Anisimova leads Osaka 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their only previous encounter in three sets at this year's Australian Open. The American ended the Japanese's title defense in Melbourne in the third round after saving a couple of match points.
Amanda Anisimova vs Naomi Osaka odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Amanda Anisimova vs Naomi Osaka prediction
Anisimova has done quite well in recent weeks, in contrast to Osaka, who has won just one match on clay this season. The American also has a good record at Roland Garros, having made it to the semifinals a few years ago. Osaka, meanwhile, hasn't made it past the third round in Paris. As such, Anisimova will be the slight favorite on paper.
Both players are aggressive baseliners who have the ability to redirect pace very efficiently. Anisimova is a much better move than Osaka on clay and will have the edge in that department. The American is also an excellent returner and can neutralize the former World No. 1's biggest weapon.
Osaka adopted a rather strange strategy of running around her backhand and hitting only forehand returns in Madrid. This backfired quite badly and it remains to be seen if she will stick with that tactic against Anisimova, who does not have the biggest of serves.
All things considered, Anisimova is a far superior player on clay and should be able to come through this match without too much fuss.
Pick: Amanda Anisimova to win in straight sets.