Osaka loses in 1st round of Australian Open 2024, her first Grand Slam match post-childbirth
Japanese tennis star and former world No. 1, Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has concluded her participation in the 2024 Australian Open.
Osaka faced a straight-set defeat in the 1st round of the Australian major, losing to the 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia from France in 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Australian Open 2024, 1st round:
Caroline Garcia (France) [16] – Naomi Osaka (Japan) – 6:4, 7:6 (7:2)
This marked the second meeting between the two players. In 2021, Osaka had defeated Garcia in the 1/32 finals of the Australian Open, securing her second championship on Melbourne’s courts.
For Osaka, this match was her third since giving birth to her daughter and her first in a Grand Slam tournament.
In the 1/32 finals, Garcia is set to face Magdalena Frech.
Earlier, the world’s sixth-ranked player, Ons Jabeur, successfully advanced to the 2nd round of the Australian Open.