Wimbledon 2019: World No 2 Naomi Osaka stunned in first-round defeat by Yulia Putintseva

The 21-year-old Japanese was beaten 7-6 6-2 by Kazakhstan’s Putintseva

World No 2 Naomi Osaka was dumped out of the first round of Wimbledon after losing 7-6 6-2 to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.

Osaka, the reigning US and Australian Open champion, cut a frustrated and despondent figure as she failed to find her form against Putintseva, who was making her first appearance on Centre Court.

This was the second meeting of the year between the two women, with Putintseva previously emerging victorious in straight sets at the Birmingham Classic.

This time around, Osaka looked uncomfortable and desperately short of confidence, making a total of 38 unforced errors compared to Putintseva’s seven.

It was this consistency which won it for the Kazakhstani, who moved smoothly across the back of the court, firing over an impressive range of baseline shots and standing strong in the face of Osaka’s powerful serves.

Osaka, in contrast, struggled to make the simplest of shots, repeatedly finding the net on both her fore and backhand. She looked most threatening in the forecourt but her general lack of decisiveness ultimately served to undermine her efforts.

The 21-year-old Japanese led by an early break in the first set but couldn’t hold onto her advantage. Putintseva quickly broke back before pushing on to take the match to a tie-break, which she won 7-4.

By this stage Osaka’s emotions were beginning to get the better of her as she began kicking her racquet, crying out in anger and hanging her head back in frustration, looking skyward as if for an answer.

It never came. Putintseva moved up a gear in the second set, holding her consistency as Osaka appeared to unravel. With a double break under her belt at 5-2, Putintseva served out the game for victory in one hour and 36 minutes.