Melbourne – Naomi Osaka stepped up the defense of her Australian Open title with a composed beating of Madison Brengle on Wednesday to move a step closer to a blockbuster clash with top seed Ashleigh Barty.
The Japanese 13th seed raced through the first set but had to work hard in the second on Rod Laver Arena before eliminating the 54th-ranked American 6-0, 6-4 in 65 minutes to make the third round.
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