Osaka downs fourth seed in Wimbledon warm-up

THE HAGUE, June 11 (AFP): Japanese star Naomi Osaka got her grass court season off to an impressive start Tuesday, with a straight-sets win over fourth seed Elise Mertens in the second round of the Libema Open.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka dominated from the start, breaking the Belgian twice in the first set and staying solid on her own serve to take it 6-2.

The second set was more closely fought, going with serve until the 10th game.

A lucky net cord and two powerful groundstrokes gave Osaka two match points and she needed only one, taking the second set 6-4.

"I think it's maybe four or five years since I last played on grass but I'm super excited to be here," Osaka said after the match.