Naomi Osaka kicked-off her season with a straight-sets victory over Lina Glushko at the Auckland Open.
Osaka, a four-time grand slam champion, heads into the new season ranked 57th in the world.
The former world number one hinted over the weekend that she will not hold back from calling a day on her playing career if she did not improve over the course of 2025, having reached just two WTA Tour-level quarter-finals last season.
Osaka began her preparations for the Australian Open with a 6-4 6-4 win over Israel's Glushko, the world number 221, on Monday, but the 27-year-old did not have it all her own way.
Second Round Booked @naomiosaka moves onto the next round in Auckland after a straight-sets victory over Glushko, 6-4, 6-4.#ASBClassic25 pic.twitter.com/6dH1JHpY9t
— wta (@WTA) December 30, 2024
But after claiming victory in 85 minutes, Osaka was happy to have been made to work hard to secure her progress to round two.
"It was good to have to, I guess, scrap a little for the first round," Osaka said.
"I just kept trying to tell myself 'one point at a time,' and try not to get discouraged. Thankfully it came out in my favour at the end."
Julia Grabher is next up for Osaka.
