"My little revenge": Naomi Osaka bests Karolina Muchova in Melbourne, gets justice for US Open outfit
"I was so mad", recalled the four-time major winner at the Australian Open Wednesday after losing in New York to the Czech.
“It’s not a bad thing. Like revenge is competitive, you guys!” Naomi Osaka insisted as she spoke about reversing her 2024 US Open outcome with Karolina Muchova on Wednesday afternoon.
Osaka and Muchova once again found themselves across the net from one another in the second round of a major. The Japanese star already had a taste of déjà vu in the first round of the Australian Open, when she overcame Caroline Garcia over three competitive sets a year after the Frenchwoman sent her packing in the opening stage of the Melbourne major.
A two-time winner at the Happy Slam, Osaka advanced to the third round of a major for the first time since becoming a mom after storming back to defeat the 20th-seeded Muchova, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
In their final set on Kia Arena, Osaka’s level continued to climb higher as she cracked twice as many winners as unforced errors (16 to eight) in outpacing the former French Open runner-up.
Besting Muchova was on the former world No. 1's mind, of course, but her reasons went beyond the act of not losing again.
“She’s an incredibly difficult player for me to play. She crushed me in the US Open when I had my best outfit ever. I was so disappointed,” laughed Osaka.
“I was so mad. This was my little revenge.”
Flashback: Osaka’s ‘maximalist’ US Open kit steals the show: “Hope this isn't too much!”
Another familiar foe awaits Osaka in her next match. Belinda Bencic, who returned from maternity leave last October at an ITF tournament in Hamburg, followed up her notable win over No. 16 seed Jelena Ostapenko.
The former Olympic gold medalist, contesting her first Grand Slam event since the 2023 US Open, held off Suzan Lamens with a 6-1, 7-6 (3) victory.
I think it's going to be a fun match. She beat me last time, but I have a good record against her. But it doesn't really mean anything anymore. Belinda Bencic on facing Naomi Osaka
Asked if she had any words of wisdom for the Swiss about motherhood, Osaka quickly responded, “Oh, she doesn’t want advice from me. I promise!”
“I haven’t really bumped into her. It’s weird,” she added. “When you’re at a Slam, you don’t really see people when you expect to see them. But I guess I’ll see her on the other side of the court.”
Osaka won the pair’s most recent encounter in the 2022 Miami Open semifinals, while Bencic leads their series 3-2 overall.