Can the German hold her own?
Laura Siegemund faces top-ranked player Naomi Osaka in her opening match at the French Open. However, the Japanese player struggles with the surface and the tournament itself in Paris.
So far, the four-time Grand Slam winner has never made it past the third round at the French Open! Read our preview of the match in Paris to find out which Laura Siegemund vs. Naomi Osaka tip might be worth considering against this backdrop!
The fact that Osaka doesn’t enjoy traveling to the French capital was particularly evident last year: the former world No. 1 was eliminated in the first round.
Furthermore, the current clay-court season has once again been unremarkable from her perspective. Osaka only competed in Madrid and Rome, and in both tournaments, her run ended in the round of 16.
Admittedly, her opponents—the two exceptionally strong players Iga Swiatek, who has already won four Grand Slam titles on clay, and the current world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka—were also very tough.
The German is now ranked a few spots lower, but we still expect the 38-year-old from Filderstadt to put up a fight. Given this assessment, we’re predicting a match between Laura Siegemund and Naomi Osaka that goes to at least two sets.
Furthermore, we expect at least one set to be decided by a tiebreak and that the Japanese favorite will ultimately prevail in three sets.
Laura Siegemund – Naomi Osaka Head-to-Head Record
Siegemund and Osaka have faced each other four times so far, and the record is even at two wins and two losses apiece. This also applies to the two matches played on clay.
For the upcoming match between Laura Siegemund and Naomi Osaka, however, the odds now clearly favor a victory for the Japanese player.
Laura Siegemund – Naomi Osaka Prediction
The Japanese player’s glory days are long gone. She won all four of her Grand Slam titles between 2018 and 2021, and since then, Osaka hasn’t won a single tournament. On the Challenger Tour alone, she won the tournament in Saint-Malo, France, last year.
It was also her only tournament victory on clay to date, which quickly makes it clear that she was never among the world’s best on this surface anyway. In the German player, she now faces an opponent who, at 38, is in the twilight of her career.
However, the Filderstadt native feels exceptionally comfortable on clay. She recorded her only two WTA tournament victories on this surface in Bastad, Sweden, and in her Swabian hometown of Stuttgart.
Furthermore, she has also claimed all 14 of her ITF tournament victories on clay. Given this preference for the surface, we do not consider her to be without a chance against the Japanese player and are selecting the betting odds for a three-set match in the duel between Laura Siegemund and Naomi Osaka.
