*Flushing, NY – As Aretha would say, “beautiful gowns, beautiful gowns…” That’s the impression that Naomi Osaka ultimately left on the deflated New York crowd as she tumbled out of the 2024 US Open on Thursday night. It was only her second round of action in her bid to reclaim her former glory as a 2-time champion. The match did give her a chance to show off the black version of her Japanese culture-inspired outfit, however:
“I need to win this match (round one) so I can wear my other color. That was very important to me,” she said after her first-round win.
She made good on her determination to win that match, taking out the hard-hitting Latvian, Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 on Tuesday … but maybe she should’ve had another color on tap so she could’ve taken that same focus into round two.
How exactly did she end up losing?
Karolina Muchova (CZE), came to Ashe Stadium to play on the night, effectively using athleticism and variety to smother out the former champion’s power game. Osaka hung tough for the first six games at 3-all, but Muchova’s deft play pulled the rug from under her confidence and she was shaken from there. Naomi’s serve deserted her (57% and 4 double faults) and her groundstrokes followed. She lost the first set 3-6.
Osaka began the second set under pressure, nearly dropping serve to start. But she dug it out and steadied herself for the next six games for 3-all again. It was clear that she was unhinged and her opponent was the better player, but tennis matches can turn on a dime and present plot twist after plot twist. She was well aware of that and managed to claw her way to 4-all.
Then the twist!
Muchova began to realize just how well she was playing and broke out in an impromptu performance of “the wobble” … and the Czech dropped her serve while doing so. Scoreline: 5-4, Osaka’s lead.
All she had to do was serve it out and reset the match completely for a set apiece.
But another twist!
Naomi decided to join the dance and as she was wobbling, she squandered a 40-0 lead to lose that game. It was then 5-all. Muchova handled her business, holding serve for 6-5, leaving Osaka to serve to force a tiebreaker. But tiebreakers favor the steadier server and certainly the calmer player, which was Muchova, so the writing was on the wall. Naomi Osaka’s comeback campaign was about to end … and it did just that. She lost the tiebreaker and the match, 3-6, 6-7 (5).
How did she feel after the early loss?
“And how do I feel after this tournament? Really disappointed, but I’m trying to take I guess the flowers from everything. I feel like, I don’t know, it’s kind of ironic that even though I haven’t, like, got into a final, still in my brain I think that I can win these tournaments,” she said.
“I feel like eventually it will all piece itself together. It might not be on the timeline that I want it to be, but I think it will come eventually, so…”
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