Osuigwe Sets Tongues Wagging At Australia Open

Nigerian-born American female tennis rising star, Whitney Osuigwe has set more tongues wagging over potentials, following her gallant efforts at this year’s Australian Open.

Sports247.ng reports that Osuigwe, who became the second player born in 2002, after Marta Kostyuk, to feature in the main draws of a Grand Slam at this year’s US Open, was talk of the town at the start of the week in Melbourne Park, Australia.

Such it was after her brilliant, though unsuccessful effort to reach the second round, but the American wild card narrowly lost two sets to one against Canada’s Bianca Andreescu.

However, while Osuigwe battled for giant strides, Andreescu also continued her stellar start to the 2019 season, advancing to the second round of the Australian Open after a lengthy, three-set victory over Osuigwe on Tuesday.

However, Andreescu, an 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario, needed two tiebreakers and nearly three hours to defeat the 16-year-old Osuigwe 7-6 (1), 6-7, 6-3 in her first career main draw match at the Melbourne major.

Andreescu, coming off her first appearance in a WTA final at the ASB Classic in New Zealand two weeks ago, went through three qualifying rounds to earn a spot in the main draw of the tournament.

Andreescu upset former World No. 1s Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams before losing to No. 14 Julia Goerges in the championship match in Auckland.

The stellar run saw Andreescu rise 45 spots in the WTA standings to sit at a career-high No. 107 entering the Australian Open. She is now projected to move up to No. 88.

In Tuesday’s match, Andreescu converted on 4-of-10 break points and had 40 winners to Osuigwe’s 20.

The Canadian, though, ran into trouble in the second-set tiebreak, failing to earn a single point to give Osuigwe the momentum heading into the third and deciding set.

However, Andreescu rebounded nicely, breaking her young opponent to go up 5-3 and holding serve to win the match that lasted 2 hours 46 minutes.

Despite the loss, Osuigwe says she is ready to tackle the WTA, as she banks on the mentoring of her father and coach Desmond, a native of Nigeria, was a touring professional on the ATP Tour, and started teaching tennis at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in 1997.

Named the ITF Junior World Champion at last year’s French Open, Osuigwe, who relies on quick feet and hands with a counterpunching style, posted a monster season in 2017.

In addition to becoming the first American junior in 28 years to win the girls’ singles title at Roland Garros, she claimed six titles in total – which also included the prestigious Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl titles to end the year.

Winner of the USTA’s girls’ 18-and-under nationals last August, Osuigwe was rewarded with a spot in a women’s Grand Slam draw for the first time at the US Open, falling to Camila Giorgi in the first round as a wildcard, 6-4, 6-1.

Nonetheless, Osuigwe racked up wins in the fall against opponents both older and with vastly more experience, and she posted a 12-4 professional singles record following her Grand Slam main draw debut to end the season.

In November, the former junior French Open champion and World No.1 clinched the USTA’s reciprocal wildcard for the first Grand Slam of the year, thanks to her performance over the final weeks of 2018.

Osuigwe recounted: “I started playing only tennis by the age of 7 because I fell in love with sport. I liked being on the court all by myself and having to figure out everything in my own.

“I think my biggest strengths in court are my movement and forehand. My favorite surface is red clay.

“I love being able to slide in it and it’s a slow surface – so I can get more balls back, as well as have more time to set up and hit my ball.

“It’s hard to put in words what exactly it means to have finished No.1 this year and become Junior World Champion.

“I learned a lot. That was my first main draw of a Grand Slam so it was a little overwhelming, but now I know what to expect and I feel a lot more comfortable.

“When I learned I got the wildcard, I was very excited and couldn’t wait to come to Australia for the first time.”