Caroline Garcia shattered Naomi Osaka’s dream of returning to competition after winning 6-4, 7-6 in the first round of the Australian Open, Melbourne in the 2024 season.
Japanese tennis player Osaka gave birth to a daughter named Shai in July 2023 and returned to action in Brisbane two weeks ago which ended in defeat to Karolina Pliskova in the second round. He once beat a French tennis player in straight sets at the 2021 Australian Open on his way to winning the Grand Slam for the second time in his career, but the French tennis player showed an impressive performance to reverse the results of their meeting in the 2021 season.
For the former world number 1, Osaka, this season’s appearance in Melbourne was the first appearance at a Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open season and she was ultimately unable to live up to her hopes after the 16th seed performed better at crucial moments, so for The first time a Japanese tennis player lost in the opening match of the Australian Open, which he had won twice.
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“I really respect Naomi as an individual and as a tennis player,” said Caroline Garcia. “We all know that he has had an amazing career. He’s been through a lot and I’m relieved he’s back and hope he can now enjoy tennis and have fun on the court.”
“She is an extraordinary girl and has done a lot for tennis in the last few seasons. Six months after giving birth, she is playing brilliantly. We have to be careful dealing with it.”
The 16th seed, Garcia will next face Polish tennis player, Magdalena Frech for the first time in the second round.
World number 69, Frech won the longest match in the Australian Open in women’s singles so far in the 2024 edition of the season after she beat the host player, Daria Saville, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 which lasted 3 hours 13 minutes .
In the same draw, Slovenian tennis player Kaja Juvan beat 23rd seed Anastasia Potapova 6-1, 6-4 and booked a second round match against Anastasia Zakhaarova who beat Kazakhstan national Yulia Putintseva 2-6. , 6-0, 6-3.
In other action, Swiss tennis player Viktorija Golubic also caused defeat to the top seed after she managed to beat the 15th seed, Veronika Kudermetova, 7-6, 6-1, 6-1. The second round, she will meet Czech tennis player, Katerina Siniakova, who won 6-2, 7-5 over Romanian tennis player, Jaqueline Cristian.
