Naomi Osaka had no regrets after her Indian Wells title defence was ended by Belinda Bencic. The 21-year-old Japanese world number one has enjoyed an impressive 12 months after following up her win in this tournament last year with her first Grand Slam titles at the US Open and Australian Open.
However, Osaka had no answer to her Swiss opponent in their last-16 showdown as Bencic eased to a 6-3 6-1 victory in just 66 minutes. When asked about her game, Osaka said: “I didn’t lose in the first round. That’s a plus. I tried my best and I don’t really have any regrets.”
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Osaka was also relatively pleased with how she handled going into a tournament as the reigning champion for the first time in her career. “I think I did well,” she added. “It’s just really exciting to come out here every day and for everyone to be so kind. “There were so many fans, I think that that’s part of the experience. Yeah, I think I did well for my first time.”
