Naomi Osaka Has Withdrawn From The Australian Open

(CTN News) – In Monday’s Australian Open final, Naomi Osaka was beaten by Caroline Garcia 6-4 7-6(2) at Rod Laver Arena in her return to Grand Slam tennis after maternity leave.

Taking on the French 16th seed, who is an aggressive baseliner in the same vein as Naomi Osaka, was always going to be a challenge for the two-time Australian Open champion, who returned to tournament tennis only two weeks ago after a 15-month absence.

While Naomi Osaka still possessed the power that had taken her to four Grand Slam titles before she took time off to have her daughter Shai, it was always going to take her some time to rediscover her accuracy in clutch situations.

A double fault earned Garcia his first break point of the match in the fifth game, and the 30-year-old former world number four converted it with alacrity to move ahead.

There was a chance that Naomi Osaka would break Garcia at deuce in the eighth game of the match, but she hit a routine backhand into the net and Garcia won the set with back-to-back aces.

The former world number one won her first three service games in the second set to love, but Garcia’s serving was superb,

Which prevented Naomi Osaka from putting any pressure on it.

As she defeated Garcia 6-2 6-3 at Melbourne Park in 2021, Osaka had a much tighter contest with the second set decided by a tiebreak.

Continuing to hit the mark with her first serves, Garcia raced to a big lead and won the match on her first match point when Naomi Osaka sent another backhand into the net.

In addition, it was Osaka’s earliest exit in eight appearances at the Australian Open and her third consecutive loss in the first round of a Grand Slam after falling in the opening round at the French and United States Opens in the preceding year.

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