Naomi Osaka handed tough draw in blockbuster Berlin opening round

Naomi Osaka was handed a tough draw for the Berlin Open next week having learnt that she will face Chinese star Qinwen Zheng in the first round of the tournament.

The four-time Grand Slam winner will go head-to-head with the world No 8 as Berlin hosts the first WTA 500 event of the grass-court season.

After the draw was run on Saturday we learned that the first-round match had been set having also clashed last month. The clash between the Asian stars marks the second time in five weeks that they will have played against each other in singles action, and the third match overall between the two.

Zheng was a 6-2, 6-4 winner in the fourth round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last month, telling a press conference afterwards that she had the utmost respect for the former World No 1, especially so after her return to the WTA Tour as a new mother.

While Zheng will be making her grass-court season debut, Osaka heads to Berlin off the back of a quarterfinal loss to fellow former Grand Slam winner Bianca Andreescu at the Libema Open in Rosmalen.

The winner of the Asian blockbuster might be the quarterfinal opponent for No 4 seed Jessica Pegula in the draw’s top half if the American gains the last eight.

The Berlin Open draw is headlined by new World No 2 Coco Gauff following Iga Swiatek’s pre-tournament withdrawal.

Top seed Gauff will play her opening match in Germany against either Beatriz Haddad Maia or Ekaterina Alexandrova.

In the bottom half of the Berlin Open draw No 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka will open her tilt at the title against either Marta Kostyuk or Daria Kasatkina.

Reigning Wimbledon champion and No 5 seed Marketa Vondrousova is seeded to be Sabalenka’s quarterfinal opponent if their seedings hold to that stage.

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Elena Rybakina is seeded third, and after a first round bye, could face former champion Liudmila Samsonova, against whom she is 1-4 all-time with the Russian set to face a qualifier in her first match.

Jule Niemeier will get a wildcard into the main draw as a local player.

“Jule is an outstanding grass court player and is currently on the way back to the top. She has earned this start here with us,” said Tournament Director Barbara Rittner.

Niemeier was delighted to get the nod as a wildcard in front of German fans.

“I’m very grateful for the wildcard for the main draw and I’m looking forward to the support of the fans in Berlin,” she said.