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Naomi Osaka in her match against Alizé Cornet
Photo: JOEL CARRETT / EPA
Former tennis world number one Naomi Osaka has made a successful start to the new season after a four-month break.
The Japanese won her opening match at the WTA tournament in Melbourne on Tuesday 6: 4, 3: 6, 6: 3 against the French woman Alizé Cornet.
Osaka ended the previous season prematurely after her third round at the US Open in early September and left it open whether she would return to the field at all.
In the world rankings, the 24-year-old is currently only 13th.
As early as May, Osaka had withdrawn due to a dispute over an announced absence from the compulsory media rounds during the French Open.
Then she admitted problems with depression and also skipped the tournament at Wimbledon.
At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, she was eliminated in the round of 16.
"I had the feeling that I made a lot of easy mistakes, but I expected that because it was the first match and I was really nervous," said Osaka after the two-hour game in the Rod Laver Arena .
The WTA tournament in Melbourne, in which she is seeded number one, serves to prepare for the Australian Open.
In the first Grand Slam tournament of the season, Osaka will start as the defending champion from January 17th.
mfu / dpa