World number two women’s tennis player Naomi Osaka won the first round of her French Open tie on Sunday, cruising past Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win.

Also read | French Open 2021: 5 female players to watch out for

The 23-year-old from Japan, had earlier said that she would boycott media in the tournament, saying that news conferences were detrimental to her mental health. However, following her first-round victory, she had an on-court TV interview.

Also read | Media made us: Rafael Nadal on Naomi Osaka’s French Open press boycott

“For me, playing on clay is a work in progress,” said the Japanese at Court Philippe Chatrier. “Hopefully the more I play, the better I will become. It’s a beautiful court. I’ve only played two matches here, one before the roof and one now so hopefully I’ll keep it going.”

Also read | French Open 2021: 5 male players to watch out at Roland Garros

Osaka has never gone past the third round in Roland Garros. But on Sunday, she fired 39 winners,  while also committing 35 unforced errors.