Naomi Osaka took 77 minutes to beat 17-year-old wildcard Wakana Sonobe
The win follows early exits in Beijing and Wuhan WTA events for the former World No. 1
Sonobe saved five break points and managed one break of Osaka's serve in the second set
Naomi Osaka kick-started her Japan Open campaign with a dominant straight-sets victory against Wakana Sonobe.
The top seed won 6-0 6-4 in an hour and 16 minutes and will face either defending champions Suzan Lamens or Emiliana Arango in the second round.
Four-time grand slam champion Osaka raced through in the first set, dropping just two points on serve while converting three of her six break points.
Seventeen-year-old wildcard Sonobe held her own in the second, saving five break points while also taking one of Osaka’s service games.
However, Osaka broke Sonobe’s serve twice before clinching victory in her home tournament with her third match point.
Data Debrief: Osaka dominates on serve
After losing in the first round in Beijing and the second round in Wuhan prior to this tournament, this was a much-needed confidence booster for Osaka.
And she was particularly dominant with her serve, winning 30 of her 39 total service points, including 83.3% on her first serve and 71.4% on her second.
