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Osaka Beats Tunisia’s Jabeur in Return from Maternity Leave

Aug 7, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ons Jabeur (TUN) serves against Naomi Osaka (JPN, not shown) in second round play at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ons Jabeur (TUN) serves against Naomi Osaka (JPN, not shown) in second round play at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
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Osaka Beats Tunisia’s Jabeur in Return from Maternity Leave

Aug 7, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ons Jabeur (TUN) serves against Naomi Osaka (JPN, not shown) in second round play at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ons Jabeur (TUN) serves against Naomi Osaka (JPN, not shown) in second round play at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Naomi Osaka of Japan beat another top player in her return from maternity leave, routing ninth-seeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday in the National Bank Open.
Osaka, a former No. 1 player, beat a top-20 player player for the fifth time in her return.
“Everyone knows I really love hard courts. I wasn’t thinking too much. It was very instinctual,” said Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner. “Honestly, when I play the best players, like Ons, I tend to play better."
Osaka will face Elise Mertens of Belgium in the second round. Mertens beat American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-1.
Paul Badosa, a former second-ranked player making a comeback from a back injury, followed her Washington title Sunday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Denmark’s Clara Tauson. The Spanish star will face fourth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.
In the late match, third-seeded defending champion Jessica Pegula of the United States topped Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-4 in the second round.
In another night match, 15th-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Canada beat Nao Hibino of Japan 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
Marina Stakusic, a 19-year-old from nearby Mississauga, beat Russia’s Erika Andreeva 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4 in her first main-draw appearance in the event.

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Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
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Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa

Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season’s first major, ruling out a replay of last year’s semifinal match.
Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals at the Australian Open last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title.
Top-ranked Sinner has a first-round match against Nicolas Jarry and also has Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Medvedev in his quarter of the draw. Fritz will open against fellow American Jenson Brooksby.
Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz could meet in the quarterfinals, with a possible semifinal against No. 2 Alexander Zverev.
At the draw Thursday to set the brackets for the singles fields, defending champions Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka walked into the official ceremony holding thei trophies.
Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women’s singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section.
“I have a lot of great memories and to be back here ... as a two-time Australian Open champion, it’s definitely something special,” Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International title last week, said at the draw ceremony. “I hope that I can keep doing what I’m doing here in Australia.”
Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semifinal rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula.
The Australian Open starts Sunday morning in Melbourne (Saturday night EST) and will run for 15 days.
Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside new coach Andy Murray, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion. Nobody has won the men's title at Melbourne Park more often than Djokovic, although he said he still feels trauma from the one year he wasn’t allowed to play.
Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who withdrew from an exhibition against Djokovic this week because of an abdominal strain, will face Jacob Fearnley in the first round if the mercurial Australian is fit enough to contest his first major since the 2022 US Open. Kyrgios is in the same section as Zverev.