Naomi Osaka shook off early nerves and rallied to a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Australian qualifier Talia Gibson in the Wimbledon first round on Monday, keeping alive hopes of a deeper run at a tournament where she’s yet to shine.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who has never advanced beyond the third round at the All England Club, found herself trailing in both sets but raised her level in key moments to see off Gibson on Court 18 as the evening shadows crept in.

“I’m glad that I did it, and I hope that I have many more matches to come,” Osaka said, reflecting on overcoming first-round nerves against an unfamiliar opponent.

Gibson, ranked 126th and making her main-draw debut, broke for a 3-1 lead in the opener before Osaka struck back, winning five of the next six games as the Australian’s errors mounted.

Undeterred, Gibson twice served for the second set but was denied by Osaka’s late surges, before the Japanese star sealed the tiebreak with superior composure.

Since returning from maternity leave last year, Osaka’s form has been patchy, with glimpses of promise in deep runs at Miami and Rome but early exits at Roland Garros and a lack of consecutive wins since May.

To end that drought, she must next navigate a tricky second-round clash against either Katerina Siniakova or fifth seed Zheng Qinwen.

Despite her mixed grass-court record, Osaka remains determined. “No matter how I think I play, I feel like the mentality is pretty solid,” she said.