Tokyo 2022: Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Naomi Osaka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Toray Pan Pacific Open
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Naomi Osaka.
Date: September 22, 2022.
Tournament: Toray Pan Pacific Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Tokyo, Japan.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $757,900.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Naomi Osaka preview
World No. 16 Beatriz Haddad Maia will take on four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the second round of the 2022 Pan Pacific Open on Thursday.
Haddad Maia was up against Yuki Naito in the first round. The Japanese started the match by saving three break points for a hold of serve. The pressure was on her yet again as she fended off another break point opportunity later on. However, she finally got broken in the seventh game to trail 4-3.
This solitary break of serve was enough for Haddad Maia to clinch the set afterwards. She raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set and soon served out the match to win 6-4, 6-2. This was the Brazilian's 30th victory of the season.
Beatriz Haddad Maia battles through to the last 16 and will next face the winner of Osaka-Saville!A win on her Tokyo debut 💪
🇧🇷 Beatriz Haddad Maia battles through to the last 16 and will next face the winner of Osaka-Saville!
#TorayPPO https://t.co/4cZJSVU7TC
Osaka's having one of the most underwhelming seasons of her career this year. She arrived in Tokyo on a four-match losing streak and commenced her title defense against Daria Saville in the first round.
Osaka started the match with a hold of serve. Saville stepped up to serve after that and it was business as usual for the first few points. At 30-30, she approached the net but went down in pain after twisting her knee. The Australian immediately received some medical attention for her issue.
While Saville was able to move around after that, she decided to retire from the match considering her past history with injuries.
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Naomi Osaka head-to-head
This will be the first WTA main draw meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Naomi Osaka odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Naomi Osaka prediction
Unfortunately Osaka didn't really get a chance to test herself against Saville due to her opponent's injury. It's hard to determine her current level heading into this clash against Haddad Maia. The Brazilian, on her part, played a decent match against Naito in the first round, though she wasn't too pleased with her level.
Haddad Maia can certainly go toe-to-toe with Osaka in the rallies. She has scored wins over World No. 1 Iga Swiatek along with Grand Slam champions Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova this year. She's also quite skilled at the net and isn't afraid to come forward and finish off the points.
However, the four-time Grand Slam champion's proficiency in the same area still leaves a lot to be desired.
Osaka is arguably the better server and can easily win some free points off of it. But of late, her serve isn't as effective as before. During her first-round loss at the US Open, she managed to win only 23% of her second-serve points. She can't let herself be vulnerable like that once again.
Haddad Maia is the more in-form player and has performed better than Osaka this season. But the former World No. 1 will be keen to put her best foot forward in front of her home crowd and will try her hardest to overcome any challenges posed by the Brazilian.
Pick: Naomi Osaka to win in three sets.