But time seems fluid to Osaka, who couldn’t remember the score of the first set against Collins barely an hour after the match had ended and who forgot the second part of an interviewer’s question seconds after hearing it. To be fair, there wasn’t all that much worth remembering besides Collins’ poor serving, and Osaka’s ability to improve her footwork well enough to swing the momentum and break Collins’ serve for a 5-4 lead. And so much has happened to Osaka lately that she can be forgiven a memory lapse or two. Her life is generally a happy blur but it has been complicated by a coaching change — she now works with Jermaine Jenkins, Venus Williams’ former hitting partner — and the demands she faces as a two-time Grand Slam event winner. In that context, it’s easier to understand why Osaka sees her last matches against Bencic, who just turned 22 and is seven months her senior, as having happened way back in the long ago.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 12, 2019 06:33 UTC