MELBOURNE, Australia — Naomi Osaka’s journey in the Australian Open took a rocky turn during her second-round match. Just 21 minutes into the game, she mishit a forehand service return that flew far beyond the baseline, leaving her down 5-0. As she headed to the sidelines for a break, Osaka covered herself with a white towel, shutting out the world and retreating into her own mind—she even managed to drink water under the towel.
The matchup wasn’t against a novice; it was against the 20th-seeded Karolina Muchova, who had previously reached the finals at the 2023 French Open and has made it to the semifinals of other major tournaments, including at Melbourne Park in 2021. Muchova had also bested Osaka in their last two encounters. Despite this challenging backdrop, the former world number one rallied her spirits, turned the match around, and secured a stunning victory of 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Wednesday.
Osaka reflected on her mindset during the match, stating, “Just be aware and try not to get so negative on yourself. I think, for me, the score in the first set was very dramatic, but there were key points that I could have maybe won a game here or there. So I kept trying to tell myself that.” This win was significant for Osaka, who had previously dominated women’s tennis, claiming four Grand Slam titles—two at the Australian Open and two at the U.S. Open—and briefly holding the top spot in the WTA rankings. This victory marked her first advancement to the third round of a major tournament since the 2022 season.
This milestone held special meaning for Osaka, especially considering the time away from the sport she took for mental health reasons, as well as her recent motherhood—her daughter, Shai, was born in July 2023. Since returning to competitive play, she has been showing glimpses of her former self, highlighted by a close match against world number one Iga Swiatek in the French Open. However, her journey has taken a positive turn with this win against 2022 U.S. Open semifinalist Caroline Garcia in Melbourne, solidifying her comeback.
“Getting to the third round was definitely a goal of mine after last year; I wasn’t able to beat a seed in a Grand Slam,” Osaka commented. “I’m clearly very thankful for achieving this so early in the year.” She humorously noted that defeating Garcia—who had eliminated her in the previous year’s Melbourne Open—and Muchova in sequence felt like a measure of “revenge.”
Osaka’s next challenge will be against Belinda Bencic, the gold medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, who also welcomed a child last year. With both players known for their powerful shots, Bencic anticipates an exciting match ahead. “It’s going to be a fun match,” she remarked.
In an interesting turn of events, it wasn’t Muchova but the fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen, a recent runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 Australian Open and a gold medalist from the Paris Games, who experienced an earlier exit. Zheng lost her match against 97th-ranked Laura Siegemund with a score of 7-6 (3), 6-3 after being distracted by a time violation, which seemed to affect her focus and performance.
Zheng’s normally precise serve faltered after the delay, resulting in a poorly executed shot that barely crossed the net. Siegemund, who is 36 years old, expressed her determination: “I knew I just had to play more than my best tennis.”
In contrast, Aryna Sabalenka—the player who defeated Zheng in the finals last year—extended her winning streak at Melbourne Park to 16 matches, as she aims for her third title. She triumphed over world number 54 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-5. Additional winners from the women’s bracket that day included No. 7 Jessica Pegula, No. 14 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 30 Leylah Fernandez, while reigning U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff prepared for her night match.
The men’s side also witnessed Novak Djokovic reach a historic milestone, participating in his 430th career Grand Slam match, surpassing Roger Federer. Despite losing a set for the second consecutive time, Djokovic prevailed over Jaime Faria with a score of 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2. Following his matches, No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz jokingly referred to himself as a “serve bot” after firing off 14 aces in a dominant win against Yoshihito Nishioka, finishing at 6-0, 6-1, 6-4.
