Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka's campaign came to an early after exit as the Japanese tennis ace succumbed to a straight-sets defeat to France's Caroline Garcia at the Rod Laver Arena on Monday (January 15). Garcia won 6-4, 7-6 to forge ahead into the tournament drawing curtains over Osaka's run in the season-opening Grand slam in 2024.
While it was a fairly straightforward win for France in the first set, Osaka showed some fight in the second set which was decided in the tie-breaker where once again ultimately it was the Japanese who ended up losing the match and getting knocked out of the first round.
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It is pertinent to note that Osaka was competing in first grand slam competition in over a year. While she had opted for a 15-month break to take care of her mental health, she then became a mother for the first time in July.
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It was a tightly-closed contest, much closer than what the scorelines suggest with the second set being more closely cotested than the the first one. However, Garcial eventually ended up as the winner as emerged as the winner with Osaka's cross-court backhand smashed into the nets.
Osaka's Preparation Leading Up To Australian Open 2024
As far as Osaka's preparation leading up to the Australian Open is concerned, Osaka marked her return to competitive tennis with a win over Germany's Tamara Korpatsch in the Brisbane International. She then went on to lose to Czech star Karolina Pliskova in three sets in the second round to bow out of the competition.
The defeat marked Osaka's earliest exit from Australian Open in her eight visits to the Grand Slam. Meanwhile, the result is a testament to her dip in form as this marks a hat-trick of defeats for her in the opening round of a major. She had also bowled out with first round defeats at the French and US Opens in 2022.