Naomi Osaka reaches the Australian Open third round after defeating Karolína Muchová in three sets

Down a set against Karolína Muchová and staring at a second-round exit, Naomi Osaka gave herself some simple advice as she fought to keep her Australian Open tilt on track.

“I told myself to just swing because that’s my game,” Osaka said.

“I can’t be hesitant and allow her to push me around the court.”

There was nothing complicated about the instructions and it proved effective as Osaka went on to defeat 20th seed Muchová 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in just under two hours.

“I think for me what I changed … I just had to believe in myself a lot more,” Osaka said.

“For me, after the first set, I said to myself, ‘OK, you’re a little on the way out, but you want to try to get your foot in the door’.”

The confidence Osaka summoned wasn’t just built on the fact that she has won the Australian Open twice.

She credited her preparation for the season opener with helping her mount a comeback against Muchová.

Osaka, a former world number one, chose to play the Auckland Open a fortnight ago, a tournament where she reached the final.

Her run to the decider – where she was forced to retire after the first set against Clara Tauson due to a stomach ailment – included a gritty three-set victory over Hailey Baptiste.

She lost the opening set of her quarter-final against Baptiste in a tiebreak before dropping just three games in the second and third en route to victory.

Osaka also needed three sets to get past Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday night.

“I think if I had come here to Melbourne immediately and had to play Garcia and Muchová, and they were both three-set matches, it really helped me to have the experience of the first tournament,” Osaka said.

“So I wasn’t necessarily worried about my game slipping away.”

Osaka ‘very grateful’ to make third round

Osaka’s run to the third round marks the first time she has reached the last 32 at a major since 2022.

It should be noted that she had a 15-month break from the tour, giving birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023, before returning to tournament play last year.

Osaka exited last year’s Australian Open at the first stage before being eliminated in the second round at the other three majors.

Incidentally, she lost to Muchová in the second round at the US Open last August.

While Osaka, currently ranked 51 in the world, has won four ‘slams’, the significance of making the third round in Melbourne was not lost on the 27-year-old.

“It was definitely something that is my goal, especially after last year,” she said.

“I wasn’t able to beat a seed in a grand slam. I’m obviously very grateful that it happened so early this year.”

Osaka will face Belinda Bencic in the third round after the Swiss defeated Suzan Lamens 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) on Wednesday.