Osaka overcomes spirited Gibson to reach Wimbledon second round

LONDON - Four-times Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka overcame some first-round jitters to survive a scrap with Australian qualifier Talia Gibson and advance at Wimbledon with a battling 6-4 7-6(4) first-round win on Monday.

Osaka may have no great love for Wimbledons lawns, having never got past the third round at the grasscourt major, but she had enough quality and fight to subdue a spirited Gibson.

With the evening shadow spilling across Court 18 to take the sting out of what had been a ferociously hot day, former world number one Osaka had to fight back in both sets against the Aussie.

Yet after a second-round loss last year, the threat of another early exit was seemingly enough for the Japanese player to find extra gears when it mattered most.

I think just making my match today, playing someone that Ive never played before, and also getting over the first-round nerves was a little tricky, she told reporters. Im glad that I did it, and I hope that I have many more matches to come.

Gibson was spraying winners around the court when she broke to go 3-1 up, but Osaka took stock and upped the pressure, breaking back to level at 3-3 and then again to take the first set as the Australians error count soared.

Gibson, the world number 126, could have crumbled at that point, but instead she dug in, breaking for a 4-3 lead before a rollercoaster finale.

The Australian, who was making her main draw debut, twice served for the set but was denied both times as Osaka conjured crucial breaks to force a tiebreak, where her extra class told.

Osakas form has been erratic since she returned after her maternity break at the start of last year, but there had been glimmers of hope