Naomi Osaka won her first match in a grand slam tournament since withdrawing from the French Open over mental health concerns.
Osaka beat Marie Bouzkova in straight sets in the first round of the U.S. Open, 6-4, 6-1.
Osaka, the defending U.S. Open champion, took some time off after the French Open, where she refused to speak with the media. She later said she could have handled the situation better.
"I would say, maybe think it through a bit more, in the way that I didn't know how big of a deal it would become," Osaka said prior to the U.S. Open.
Osaka did not play Wimbledon. She returned to action at the Olympics, where she was knocked out in the third round.
Coming into the U.S. Open, Osaka said she is playing with a new outlook.
"I'm gonna try to celebrate myself and my accomplishments more, I think we all should," Osaka wrote on social media.
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) August 29, 2021
Osaka will play Olga Danilovic in the second round.
