After a 15-month absence from the tour, Osaka made an impressive comeback at the Brisbane International, surviving a roller-coaster finale to clinch a 6-3, 7-6 (11-9) victory over Tamara Korpatsch of Germany. 

Osaka looked sharp and composed in her first competitive outing since the birth of her daughter Shai last summer, battering 36 winners and saving two set points to thwart an impressive late fightback from Korpatsch, who rallied from a set and 3-5 down to force a tiebreak. It was a trial the former world No 1 welcomed.

“I think it’s better to have harder matches because it will train me for what’s to come,” said Osaka. “Honestly, I’m very proud of myself. I feel like I played at a pretty good level. I think my opponent played really well as well.  

“All I can think of is the consistent nerves that I had. So just getting through that really tough match, and hopefully building on it. I think my next match will be a really good test.”

That test will come against Karolina Pliskova, the Czech 16th seed, whose victory over Osaka in Brisbane three years ago was her third in five meetings with the four-time grand slam champion. It will be a very different challenge to the one posed by Korpatsch, a natural clay-courter whose athletic defensive play and crisp groundstrokes came into their own in the latter stages after Osaka established the upper hand with a performance full of power and authority.

As Osaka served for the match at 5-3, 15-15, Korpatsch offered a clear signal that was not yet done, clipping the line with a ferocious forehand return. Seemingly unsettled, Osaka went on to surrender the game with a pair of wayward backhands. As errors suddenly started to flow from the Japanese star’s racket, Korpatsch began to swing with the untrammelled freedom of a doomed woman granted a reprieve. The German opened up an early lead in the tiebreak with an unanswerable crosscourt backhand, and although Osaka recovered to fashion a pair of match points, her signature forehand betrayed her on each occasion. 

Finishing off a resurgent opponent in such circumstances is fraught with difficulty at the best of times, let alone after a protracted absence from the game, but Osaka showed admirable composure. A fine first serve denied Korpatsch one set point, while an adroit change of direction turned a backhand exchange in her favour on a second. Normal service was thereafter resumed, Osaka sealing victory with a blazing off-forehand. She acknowledged afterwards that motherhood has altered her perspective on the game.

“A part of me felt like Shai was watching me, I wanted to do my best for her,” said Osaka, who greeted fans at courtside with a broad smile as she signed memorabilia and posed for selfies. 

“I guess towards the end, when I was signing autographs, I was more aware of kids. I see them differently now because now I’m a mom, too, and I can picture Shai being that age. 

“I think while I’m playing, I’m aware of it in the sense that I want to be a good role model for my daughter. Other than that, I think I’m pretty much trying to be the same old me.”

The old Osaka, of course, was the finest hard-court player of her generation, a double Australian and US Open champion. It is a lot to live up to but, so far, the 26-year-old is doing just fine.

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