Agency :
Naomi Osaka captured her first title in four years by winning the L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo, a WTA 125 event held on clay courts in France.
In the final, Osaka defeated Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, marking her first career title on clay and her first tournament victory since the 2021 Australian Open.
Osaka, 27, collected her first title since returning to professional tennis after giving birth to her daughter, Shai, in July 2023. And she made sure to let her haters know, posting a job application on social for “everyone that constantly has s-t to say.”
The title was notably Osaka’s first ever on clay, which she posted about on social media. “Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst,” she wrote.
“That’s one of my favorite things about life though, there’s always room to grow and evolve.”
The former world No. 1 took a break from the sport for maternity leave and mental health reasons, returning to competition in 2024.
Osaka’s path to the title in Saint-Malo included wins over Petra Marcinko, Diane Parry, Elsa Jacquemot, and Leolia Jeanjean before facing Juvan in the final.
Throughout the entire tournament, Osaka dropped only one set.
Following this win, Osaka is projected to return to the top 50 in the WTA rankings, reentering that level for the first time since her hiatus.
She is also expected to participate in the upcoming French Open, which is set to begin on May 25.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, hasn’t advanced beyond the French Open’s third round in her career, getting as far as she did in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
