World No 3 Naomi Osaka made light work of France’s Alize Cornet on Tuesday in the Japanese star’s first competitive match since winning the US Open for a second time.

The three-time Grand Slam champion hit 22 winners to move into the third round of the Gippsland Trophy with a 6-2, 6-2 victory in Melbourne.

“I was really nervous coming here,” said Osaka, who won the Australian Open in 2019. “The last match I played was in New York and I wanted to continue the momentum.”

It was an impressive performance from Osaka, who had few problems against Cornet in her first encounter with the French veteran.

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Osaka plays Katie Boulter in the next round after the British woman knocked out teenage sensation Coco Gauff 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 43 minutes.

After a tough opening victory over Jil Teichmann, the 16-year-old American started strongly before fading in her second match in consecutive days.

Earlier, defending Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin’s long-awaited return to Melbourne Park was brief after her Italian opponent Camila Giorgi retired injured after one set at the Yarra Valley Classic.

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The 22-year-old was back at the scene of her stunning breakthrough Grand Slam title last year, where she beat Garbine Muguruza in three sets.

But it was a short stay on Margaret Court Arena with the 76th-ranked Giorgi retiring because of a thigh injury after Kenin clinched a tight first set 7-5.

“I’m happy with the win, the way I played,” she said. “I started off pretty good...just made a little bit too many unforced errors.”

The American was upset in the quarter-finals of the season-opening event in Abu Dhabi last month by Greece’s Maria Sakkari, ranked 22.

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Kenin reeled off three straight games to start the match before going off the boil as Giorgi went 4-3 ahead.

Kenin regrouped before Giorgi called for medical attention at the end of the set and retired.

The Moscow-born Kenin emerged as a serious force in last year’s truncated circuit, also reaching the French Open final and rising to a career-high fourth in the world rankings. She plays fellow American Jessica Pegula next.