A "refreshed" Naomi Osaka marked her return to competition with a confident victory in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics women's singles and her hopes of landing gold for Japan were given a boost by the shock defeat of world No 1 Ashleigh Barty.
Osaka, 23, has not competed since withdrawing after her first round match at the French Open at the start of June, citing mental health reasons and having opted to shun media obligations, but there were few signs of rust in her 6-1, 6-4 win over China's Saisai Zheng on Sunday.
"I feel like more than anything I'm just focused on playing tennis. Playing the Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was a kid," said Osaka, who is the poster athlete of the Tokyo Games and lit the Olympic torch at Friday's opening ceremony.
"I feel like the break that I took was very needed, but I feel definitely a little bit refreshed and happy again."
Any doubts over her match sharpness were immediately and emphatically answered when Osaka sent a booming serve down the tee with the very first point. From there, she broke Zheng twice to take a commanding 4-0 lead before comfortably closing out the first set to love.
There was only one break in the second set, coming in the third game, and that was all the world No 2 needed as she wrapped up the match with a love service hold.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka will play Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic, the world No 50, in the last 32 and she is now the leading contender for gold after Australia's Barty was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain.
Barty entered the Tokyo Games having just clinched the Wimbledon title but an error-strewn performance, comprising 55 unforced errors, saw her slump to a surprise defeat to the world No 48.
"It's an amazing feeling, I still can't believe it," said Sorribes Tormo, who will face France's Fiona Ferro in the second round.
"It's something incredible for me. It's something that I've been dreaming of all my life, being here and even more so beating the world No 1. I'm super, super happy."
Spain will be well represented in the second round after Carla Suarez Navarro recorded her first win since returning to professional tennis following her recovery from Hodgkin Lymphoma with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Tunisia's Ons Jabeur.
Suarez Navarro, a former world No 6, was diagnosed with cancer in September last year and after getting the all-clear, returned to the tour for the French Open having previously announced her retirement shortly before her diagnosis.
Her win over Jabeur, who was riding high after winning her first WTA Tour title and reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals earlier this summer, sets up a second round meeting with Czech Republic's fifth seed Karolina Pliskova.
Sorribes Tormo and Suarez Navarro will be joined by a third Spaniard in the second round after former world No 1 Garbine Muguruza edged Veronika Kudermetova, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, 7-5, 7-5.
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Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20Profile
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Jawan
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Company%20Profile
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The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
