The Japanese Naomi Osaka, back on the circuit this year after a 16-month break during which she became a mother, was dominated by the Chinese Quinwen Zheng 6-2, 6-4 in the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome , Monday.
Osaka, former world No.1 now 173rd in the WTA rankings, was betrayed by her service which she conceded four times.
His Roman week, however, bodes well before Roland-Garros (May 26-June 9), the high point of the season on clay which is not his favorite surface.
Until her defeat against Zheng, she had three consecutive victories on dirt, for only the third time in her career after Stuttgart in 2017 and 2019.
For his part, Zheng reached the quarter-finals at the Foro Italico for the second year in a row.
The 7th in the world, finalist of the 2024 Australian Open, will be opposed in the next round to the Spaniard Paola Badosa (126th) or the American Coco Gauff (3rd).
