Shock moment Naomi Osaka bursts into tears during French Open win
Naomi Osaka was just two points from a sensational Roland Garros exit on Tuesday before securing her place in the second round.
The World No.1, bidding to add the French Open to her US and Australian Open titles, defeated Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 0-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.
However, she came within a whisker of becoming only the second top seed to lose in the first round in Paris in the modern era after Angelique Kerber in 2017.
And the pressure of the situation clearly got to her as she burst into tears and cried into her towel during a change of ends in the second set.
R E G R O U P@Naomi_Osaka_ 💪🇯🇵#RG19 pic.twitter.com/hE2BdIES8u
— ITV Sport (@ITVSport) May 28, 2019
"Osaka, for the entire change of ends, had her head in the towel appearing to be in tears," Jim Courier said on ITV.
The footage was aired after Osaka had taken the match to a third set.
"But she summoned her apparent great will to come back and break serve to extend the match," Courier went on to say.
“She spent 90 seconds like that. It is impressive she’s able to turn it around.”
Osaka later explained what she was feeling.
"I think this is the most nervous I have ever been my entire life during a match," said Osaka.
She was also totting up the reasons why she was so under-powered.
"First time playing a Grand Slam as No. 1. I have won the last two, so I kind of want to win this one really bad.
"Also I have never played on the Chatrier court before. This was my first time. And, yeah, I kind of feel like I'm having the thought of wanting to prove myself again, so..."
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova will serve for the match against world No.1 Naomi Osaka, who is crying at her bench at the moment. #RG19
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) May 28, 2019
Now Naomi Osaka is crying... Oh dang. This looks so bad.#RG19
— Biola Solace-Chukwu (@Beeorlicious) May 28, 2019
I feel bad for Osaka now. Her crying is not okay
— Miliswa Mvoko (@Milliswa) May 28, 2019
Osaka annoys me lol I don’t like a whole lot of pouting and crying — I hate it.
— James Earl Jonesin’ (@SUN_Of_Uhhh) May 28, 2019
Osaka was crying in her towel.
She had no business winning the match and clearly didn't think that she would. AKS gave it away and then went away.
Vika should handle Osaka 2nd rd.— Jeffrey Tellier (@JeffreyTellier) May 28, 2019
Set 2: at 4-5 #osaka buries her head into her towel, I am guessing she is crying 🤔comes back to d match to break #smieldlova and then holds to 5-5, gets broken again 5-6, breaks back 6-6 and wins the tie break
— leshtennis (@leshtennis) May 28, 2019
‘It hurts’
World No.90 Schmiedlova, who hadn't won a match at the tournament since 2014, twice served for victory in the 10th and 12th games of the second set.
At one stage, she was just two points away from a famous victory.
"It hurts that I lost so many chances," said Schmiedlova.
"She's the number one, it was not easy in my head."
Osaka, who had arrived in Paris still feeling the effects of a hand injury suffered in Rome, raced through the final set and will face former World No.1 and two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka.
Osaka ended the match with 10 aces, 36 winners and 38 unforced errors -- just four of those coming in the decider.
Azarenka, a semi-finalist in 2013, reached the second round for the first time since 2015 with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Third seed Simona Halep overcame a second-set blip against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic to win 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
Halep, who won her maiden Grand Slam title in Paris last year after three previous final defeats, will next face Poland's Magda Linette.
"The level of the match was great and her level in the second set was really high," said Halep.
"So I tried to make her move more and that was better for me.
"There were nice emotions to be back on this court."
with AFP