2 hours ago All 4 of Osaka's large titles person been won connected hard courts, and she has struggled to play her natural, big-hitting crippled connected the French Open clay and All England Club grass-courts.
But the Japanese 14th effect - who arrived connected Court One successful yet different showstopping outfit - looked astatine location astatine SW19 arsenic she thrashed Kasatkina 6-1 6-3 successful conscionable 65 minutes.
The ascendant show comes little than 5 weeks aft Osaka reached the past 16 of Roland Garros for the archetypal time.
Osaka could look apical effect Aryna Sabalenka successful a blockbuster clash adjacent if the Belarusian beats Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko aboriginal connected Friday.
"I decidedly felt truly bully today. I've played a batch of matches connected writer for the past 2 weeks, truthful I felt truly confident," the 28-year-old said.
Osaka made her archetypal grass-court last astatine the Bad Homburg Open past month, though connected that juncture she was forced to discontinue injured astatine the commencement of the 2nd acceptable against Karolina Muchova.
However, it seems that tally successful Germany has fixed Osaka a much-needed boost of assurance connected the surface, and she has yet to driblet a acceptable astatine Wimbledon.
In a near-perfect archetypal set, Osaka deed conscionable six unforced errors and mislaid lone 5 points connected serve.
Australia's Kasatkina improved somewhat successful the 2nd acceptable and recovered from falling an aboriginal interruption down, but Osaka recovered rapidly to triumph the adjacent 3 games and spot the victory.
Osaka won 2 US Open and 2 Australian Open titles betwixt 2018 and 2021, but she has lone precocious past the 4th circular of a Grand Slam erstwhile since her instrumentality from maternity permission successful 2024.
Daughter Shai celebrated her 3rd day connected Thursday, with Osaka telling the assemblage successful a post-match interview: "I don't deliberation I should beryllium telling you this, but she was benignant of atrocious yesterday.
"We tried to instrumentality her to the park, but past she needed to beryllium successful time-out, truthful we are going to effort to instrumentality her today.
"It was an awesome birthday, she blew retired her candles and made a wish, truthful I anticipation her privation is to behave better. If not, contiguous is simply a caller time for her!"
English (US)·