(Brisbane) Suffering a defeat in Brisbane bothered Naomi Osaka, but above all in the sense that she would have liked to play more matches in the run-up to the Australian Open.
Her first tournament as a mother ended with a 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 loss to Karolina Pliskova in the second round.
A winner of four major tournaments, Osaka won her first elite-level match since late 2022 on Monday, winning in straight sets against Tamara Korpatsch.
She said the July birth of her daughter, Shai, and the changes in her mindset since becoming a mother have given her a better perspective on tennis.
Osaka liked her serving results against Pliskova – 14 aces, just two double faults and an 83% success rate in points contested on her first serves.
“I’ve been training so hard since giving birth, I need to enjoy these moments,” Osaka said, adding that she has changed her attitude towards victory and defeat since giving birth. .
“I feel different. I’m sad (about losing), but in the sense that I’m like, ‘I wish I could have done better,’ because I spend so much time away from her (Shai), so I want that to be worth it. »
Pliskova was the champion in Brisbane in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
A former finalist at Wimbledon and New York now ranked 39th, the 31-year-old was playing for the first time since September after a left wrist injury cut short her 2023 season.
Her next opponent will be third-seeded Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Camila Giorgi 6-1, 6-4.
Favorite Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning champion in Melbourne, won 6-3, 6-0 against Lucia Bronzetti.
Her next rival will be Zhu Li, who won 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7) against Danielle Collins.
Second seed Elena Rybakina scored a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Olivia Gadecki.
She will face Elise Mertens in the next round, who beat Sloane Stephens 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.
On the men’s side, top seed Holger Rune defeated Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, advancing to the quarterfinals against Australian qualifier James Duckworth.
Ugo Humbert, seeded fourth, won 6-4, 6-4 at the expense of Alex Michelsen.
