Former world no. 1 Naomi Osaka will be back in action at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2022 when she faces Jelena Ostapenko in the opener on Tuesday.

In her last appearance at the 2022 U.S. Open, Osaka lost 7-6 6-3 to American Danielle Collins in the first round.

In 2023, she attended the hard-court major in New York as a spectator, watching matches from the stands alongside her mother and newborn daughter, Shai.

On Tuesday, two-time U.S. Open champion Osaka will be up against 2017 French Open champion and World No.10 Ostapenko.

The match is deemed the most high-profile first-round match of the tournament, which will run from August 26 to September 9.

“I think it’s going to be really fun,” Osaka told reporters on the U.S. Open Media Day. “She’s honestly one of my favorite players to watch. I think we are polar opposites in a way.

“I respect her a lot. She was the first player in our generation to win a Grand Slam. She’s a champion,” Osaka said about Ostapenko, who reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon this year.

Osaka has played against Ostapenko only once, beating the Latvian in straight sets at the 2016 French Open.

Tuesday’s meeting will be their first in eight years.

Osaka’s Comeback

At the start of 2024, Osaka returned to competitive tennis from a 15-month maternity break. She made her comeback in Brisbane in early January before competing at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.

Osaka suffered a first-round exit at the Australian Open and was knocked out in the second round at the French Open and Wimbledon. Recently, at the Paris Olympics, the Japanese player lost her first-round match.

Osaka’s best performance this year came at the Qatar Open, a WTA 1000 tournament, where she reached the quarter-finals.

From the start of the season, Osaka has spoken about her focus on the fall hard-court season.

Her heavy tournament schedule was designed to build towards the U.S. Open and the Asian swing.

“I was watching in the stands last year, and I promised myself this is going to be the tournament where I do the best,” Osaka said. “Or hopefully here or Japan or during the Asian swing. That’s kind of where I put all my energy.

“I guess we’ll see what happens.”

Osaka v Ostapenko: Where To Watch The Match?

The U.S. Open first-round match between Osaka and Ostapenko will be broadcast on ESPN.