"I didn't feel pressure today" says Osaka after strong start to US Open title defence

Naomi Osaka played one of the last matches of day 1 of the US Open but the Japanese player had no issues defeating Bouzkova in straight sets. Osaka played a great match especially on serve which she underlined as a key weapon after the match:

"My serve's definitely one of my biggest weapons. It's able to come in when it's really necessary. But hopefully, it won't be that needed in the future."

For Osaka returns were not the issue as well as in her mind she played fairly well:

"I actually thought I was doing pretty well on the return games. There were a couple of games that were pretty close, so I just kept telling myself to keep it really tight, hopefully, she'll get nervous or something. I feel like that did happen a little bit on the last set point that I was able to win."

Osaka admitted to not feeling the pressure before the opening match but explained she did feel some nerves:

"Honestly, I didn't feel pressure today. I don't really know how to describe it. It may have to do with, like, my mindset change. So I didn't feel pressure today. But I think I felt nerves because I wanted to perform well. I think in my mind I told myself that if I performed well, then the outcome, even if I win or lose, should be okay."