Former Australian Open champ Naomi Osaka is into the third round at a major for the first time since 2022 -- is she hitting her comeback stride?

Down 5-0 in the first set, the former No. 1 player beats Karolina Muchova in three sets to make a Grand Slam third round for the first time in three years

At her peak, the four-time Grand Slam champion played her best tennis in the toughest moments. In Melbourne, she did it again.

A four-time Grand Slam champion, Osaka returned from maternity leave last year and lost in the first or second round of all four major tournaments. The 27-year-old Japan native has not won any event on the WTA Tour since capturing her second Australian Open title to start 2021.

Osaka is back in the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2022, getting there with wins over two women who blocked her path last year.

For the first time in three years, the tennis world will see Naomi Osaka in the third round of a Grand Slam.

Naomi Osaka beat Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 at the Australian Open, reaching the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time since her return from maternity leave.

Two-time Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka returns to Melbourne Park as an unseeded player, hoping to win her first tournament on tour since 2021.