'Grateful' Naomi Osaka happy to make winning return at Indian Wells

[p]The Japanese superstar said she didn't know what to expect from her 97th-ranked opponent in their first meeting.[/p][p]But more importantly, she wasn't too sure what to expect from herself in her first match since she pulled out before her Australian Open third-round contest with an abdominal injury.[/p][p]"It wasn't, like, too positive," she said of her build up to Indian Wells.[/p][p]"[b]I was really disappointed (at the Australian Open), because it's something that I have done to myself before, and I feel like every year I go through that specific injury[/b].[/p][p]"[b]Every year I can kind of feel it starting to happen. I was just really disappointed in myself, and then ironically, we were training and I injured myself -- I did another injury[/b].[/p][p]"Hopefully, that's enough injuries for the whole year," [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/osaka-naomi/MDM4BKiA/"]Osaka[/a] said. "I'm just grateful to be out here and be playing."[/p][embed guid="42dbeec4-7967-4284-9df8-a9c9c9ad2577" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wl3N1nZmtk&t=1s" social-type="youtube" /][p]Osaka got off to a strong start, winning the first four games on the way to a 5-1 lead. But [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jimenez-kasintseva-victoria/hU5bke4O/"]Jimenez Kasintseva[/a] won the next three games, breaking Osaka twice to level the set before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/jimenez-kasintseva-v-hU5bke4O/osaka-n-MDM4BKiA/?mid=IkaCeiwA"]the 16th-ranked star regrouped[/a].[/p][p]Despite the hiccups, Osaka was pleased to have improved on a disappointing first-round loss to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/osorio-serrano-maria-camila/rysUUciD/"]Camila Osorio[/a] in the California desert last year in a match she dejectedly called the "worst match I've ever played in my life".[/p][p]"[b]Last year I didn't do too well here, so I think I already exceeded the previous year. So I just hope that I can keep going[/b]," she said.[/p][p]To do so, she'll have to get past Colombia's Osorio this time, who saved three match points in a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/jovic-i-bmWvBlnL/osorio-serrano-m-c-rysUUciD/?mid=YwTyQE5F"]4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3[/a] victory over American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jovic-iva/bmWvBlnL/"]Iva Jovic[/a].[/p]