Australian Open 2022: Naomi Osaka's projected path to the final
Naomi Osaka is back at her favorite hunting ground as she bids for a third Australian Open title this month. The Japanese is looking to become the first woman since Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2016 to defend a Major title.
Osaka, seeded 13 at the Australian Open, began her 2022 season at the Melbourne Summer Set last week. She won three matches before withdrawing from the tournament due to an abdominal injury. She will be hoping to have put that setback behind her as she launches her quest for a fifth Grand Slam title.
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On that note, here's a look at Osaka's potential path to the final at the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka's 1st-round opponent - Camila Osorio
Naomi Osaka will begin her 2022 Australian Open campaign against talented Colombian Camila Osorio. This will be the first meeting between the two players.
Osorio announced her arrival on the tour by winning her maiden WTA title in Bogota as a 19-year-old. She further made the last four in Charleston and Belgrade, before reaching another final in Tenerife.
Currently ranked No. 52, Osorio will be looking to ruffle a few feathers on her main-draw debut at the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka's 2nd-round opponent - Madison Brengle / Dayana Yastremska
If she beats Osorio, Naomi Osaka will face World No. 59 Madison Brengle or Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska in the second round.
American Brengle posted some solid results late in 2021. She won the title at a WTA 125K event in Midland and made her 27th ITF final in Georgia.
Yastremska, on her part, had a forgettable 2021 season. Her sole quarter-final appearance came in Courmayeur, France and she ended the year ranked outside the world's top 100.
Naomi Osaka's likely 3rd-round opponent - Belinda Bencic / Amanda Anisimova
The Japanese star could come up against 22nd seed Belinda Bencic or the young American Amanda Anisimova in the third round.
While Bencic is riding a wave of momentum after winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Anisimova enjoyed a positive start to the 2022 season by bagging her second career title in Melbourne last week.
Osaka has never played against Anisimova before, and has a dismal 1-3 head-to-head record against Bencic.
Naomi Osaka's likely 4th-round opponent - Ashleigh Barty
Naomi Osaka is likely to face her toughest test in the fourth round against Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty.
Barty has been the most dominant player on the WTA tour over the past couple of years. The two-time Grand Slam champion recently completed 100 consecutive weeks at the summit of the WTA rankings and heads into the Australian Open as the firm favorite.
Naomi Osaka's likely quarter-final opponent - Maria Sakkari / Ons Jabeur
Naomi Osaka may have to thwart the challenge of either fifth seed Maria Sakkari or the versatile Tunisian Ons Jabeur in a bid to be the last woman standing in her quarter of the draw.
Jabeur, ranked No. 10, made the finals in Charleston and Chicago before going on to grab her maiden WTA title in Birmingham last year.
Sakkari also enjoyed a fantastic 2021 season, making her first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2021 Roland Garros before advancing to the last four at the New York Major.
Osaka defeated Jabeur at the Australian Open last year in their only previous meeting. She also leads the head-to-head against Sakkari 3-2.
Naomi Osaka's likely semi-final opponent - Barbora Krejcikova / Paula Badosa
The World No. 14 could meet fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova or resilient Spaniard Paula Badosa in the semifinals.
Krejcikova and Badosa enjoyed breakthrough seasons in 2021. Ranked outside the world's top 50 at the start of the year, they swiftly scaled the rankings ladder to finish inside the top 10.
While Badosa won her maiden WTA title in Belgrade before prevailing in Indian Wells, Krejcikova was crowned champion in Strasbourg, Prague and Roland Garros.
Naomi Osaka's likely opponent in the final - Aryna Sabalenka / Garbine Muguruza
Should Naomi Osaka navigate her way through the top half of the draw, she could face big-hitting Aryna Sabalenka or two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza in the title clash.
Second seed Sabalenka has become a force to be reckoned with in recent years. In 2021, the Belarusian won titles in Abu Dhabi and Madrid, before reaching back-to-back Grand Slam semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Muguruza, seeded eighth, heads into the first Major of the year on the back of a very successful 2021 season. The Spaniard lifted trophies in Dubai and Chicago and capped off the year with a maiden title at the WTA Finals.
Both women are brimming with confidence and will not make things easy for Osaka in a potential meeting in the final.