2018 champ Osaka edges Doi in 3 sets at US Open

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, serves to Misaki Doi, of Japan, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

NEW YORK— Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka managed to overcome her own uneven play to pull out a three-set victory over Misaki Doi in an all-Japanese matchup in the first round of the U.S. Open.

The No. 4-seeded Osaka’s movement was an issue at times but she managed to win 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 against the 81st-ranked Doi in an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium as midnight approached.

Osaka made 38 unforced errors, 13 more than her winner total.

Osaka is coming off a left hamstring injury that forced her to withdraw from the final of the Western & Southern Open on Saturday.