Naomi Osaka picked up a win in the second round of the Australian Open, but her on-court play wasn’t the biggest story to come out of the match. Following Osaka’s win, the 28-year-old was involved in a tense handshake with her opponent, Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea.
Following the match, which Osaka won (6-3, 4-6, 6-2), she met Cîrstea at mid-court to shake hands. Cîrstea’s handshake was extremely brief, leading Osaka to say something. The two then exchanged words near the umpire’s chair.
Osaka was asked about the situation after the match, and said she thought Cîrstea was upset that Osaka was verbally pumping herself up during the match. This clip helps give some context:
When asked what it took to advance past Cîrstea, Osaka responded, “Apparently a lot of ‘come ons’ that she was angry about.” Osaka later said, “I think this was her last Australian Open, so sorry she was mad about it,” per BBC News.
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At a different press conference, Osaka apologized for those post-match quotes, saying she did not mean to disrespect Cîrstea, according to BBC News.
“I’m a little confused. I guess that emotions were very high for her. I also want to apologize,” the four-time major winner said.
“I think the first couple of things that I said on the court were disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.”
Cîrstea, 35, downplayed the exchange following the match, saying there was “no drama” between the two players.
With the win, Osaka moves on to the third round of the event. It’s the first time she’s reached the third round at the Australian Open since 2022. She’ll take on Maddison Inglis on Saturday.
Taylor Fritz, Jannik Sinner advance on men’s side
On the men’s side, both Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner made quick work of their opponents Thursday. Both players won in straight sets, though Fritz did need a tiebreak to push past Vit Kopriva in the third set.
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Fritz is looking for a repeat performance of last year, where he surged to the quarterfinal in the Australian Open. It was his best performance at the event to date. In order to get there, he’ll need to beat Stan Wawrinka on Saturday and then could match up with men’s No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round.
Sinner has won the previous two Australian Opens, and is seeking his third-straight win at the event. He’ll take on Eliot Spizzirri on Saturday.
Belinda Bencic stunned by Czech teen Nikola Bartunkova
Belinda Bencic entered the Australian Open as one of the top-ranked women in the event. But Bencic is going home early, losing in the second round against 19-year-old Nikola Bartunkova.
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It was an impressive performance from Bartunkova, who won the match 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.
It’s the first time in which Bartunkova has taken part in the Australian Open. It took her only two matches to pick up a signature win at the event.
Elsewhere on the women’s side, No. 2 ranked Iga Swiatek won in straight sets over Marie Bouzková. Elena Rybakina also advanced in straight sets.