© Getty Images Sport – Bradley Kanaris
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka received a favorable Abu Dhabi first-round draw by drawing a qualifier but didn’t have much luck in potentially meeting No. 1 seed Elena Rybakina in her next match.
Osaka, 26, is set to make her debut at a WTA 250 tournament in Abu Dhabi. Osaka, who is ranked at No. 759 after launching her post-pregnancy comeback at the start of the year, will very likely have a favorable matchup in the Abu Dhabi first round considering that she is taking on a qualifier.
But if Osaka beats a qualifier, then it will get extremely tough for the Japanese, who will then be clashing against 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina. Should Osaka, 26, and 24-year-old Rybakina meet in the Abu Dhabi round-of-16, that would be their first meeting. However, considering that Osaka is just at the start of her comeback, it would be fair and reasonable to consider Rybakina the favorite.
Osaka wants to win and now
Before kicking off her post-pregnancy comeback at the Brisbane International, Osaka was out of action for 16 months. After going 1-1 in Brisbane, Osaka received a pretty tough Australian Open first-round draw and lost to Caroline Garcia 6-4 7-6…
