It was a great day for Japan's Naomi Osaka, who rolled past first round opponent Zheng Saisai of China 6-1, 6-4. It was Osaka's first match -- and victory -- in nearly two months.
Belting six aces in sweltering conditions, the World No. 2 closed out her opener in just over an hour and a half. Though she struggled a bit in the second set -- unable to move past deuce on several occasions -- Osaka managed to stay focused and hold her nerves while on Centre Court.
"I'm super excited to be here," Osaka said in a post-match interview, explaining that -- at times -- she felt like "a giraffe on ice." She also referred to lighting the Olympic cauldron as "the greatest moment of my career, definitely. For me, it means more than winning a Grand Slam."
SEE MORE: Tennis star Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic cauldron
More good news for the four-time Grand Slam champion: Australia's Ashleigh Barty -- the World No. 1, and arguably Osaka's biggest potential opponent at these Games -- crashed out of the tournament in her Olympics debut.
Next, the Japanese star will play Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic in singles round two.
SEE MORE: Osaka talks break from tennis, Olympic cauldron lighting
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.