The 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Karolina Muchova allowed Osaka to reach the third round at a major tournament for the first time since the 2022 season.

The player who beat Zheng in the final 12 months ago, No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, stretched her Melbourne Park winning streak to 16 matches as she eyes a third consecutive title, beating No. 54 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5 at Rod Laver Arena.

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.