INDIAN WELLS – Former Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu and Caroline Wozniacki all reached the second round of Indian Wells on March 7, while former world No. 1 Venus Williams was heading for victory before losing the last 10 games to Japan’s Nao Hibino.

Four-time Slam champion Osaka, who returned to the WTA Tour in January after a maternity break, fell 2-1 behind in the first set to qualifier Sara Errani when she misfired on an overhead into the net in windy conditions.

But the Japanese star settled in from there, using her power to push her Italian opponent around the court and won 10 of the final 11 games to advance 6-3, 6-1.

“It was really tricky for me in the first set,” Osaka admitted afterwards.

“I didn’t know if I should play with her and then go for my shots, or if I should immediately go for my shots. That took a little bit of working out, which is why the first set was closer than I would have wanted.”

Osaka, who received a wild card to play at the event she won in 2018 for her first professional title, next faces 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia.

Former US Open champion Raducanu beat Spanish qualifier Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 6-3 earlier in the day to set up a second-round clash with 30th seed Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.

The British wild card broke serve six times but also served eight double faults and needed four match points to close out the contest, which ended when Masarova’s backhand sailed long.

Raducanu is playing in her fifth tournament since returning to action in January after being sidelined for eight months due to wrist and ankle surgeries.

“It was super important for me to get through that,” she said.

“It’s one of the trickiest tournaments conditions-wise to play in because it varies so much. I dealt with that really well and overcame a really tough opponent.”

Wozniacki scored her first win in the California desert since 2018, beating China’s Zhu Lin 7-6 (8-6), 6-1.

The Dane returned to the tour in 2023 after stepping away from the sport in 2020 to start a family. The tournament’s 2011 champion and former world No. 1 will next take on Croatia’s Donna Vekic, who is seeded 25th.

“I’m starting to feel my tennis coming back, so I just hope my body can hold up, we’ll see. The sky’s the limit,” she said.

Meanwhile, seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams looked poised for victory leading 6-2, 3-2 before qualifier Hibino turned the tables for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 win.

The 43-year-old American had not played since suffering an early exit from the 2023 US Open, where she fell to qualifier Greet Minnen in the first round.

Danielle Collins will face world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in a blockbuster second-round clash after the American edged out Russian qualifier Erika Andreeva 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (8-6).

Collins, 30, announced in January that this would be her last season on the WTA Tour but said her trademark competitiveness is unchanged. “I feel like it’s animal mode from the moment I walk in,” she said. REUTERS