Naomi Osaka’s grand slam return ended prematurely in a first-round loss at the Australian Open to 16th seed Caroline Garcia.
Playing in her first major tournament since the US Open in 2022 following the birth of daughter Shai last summer, Osaka gave Garcia a good fight but fell to a 6-4 7-6 (2) defeat on Rod Laver Arena.
It is the first time the 26-year-old, who won the title in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021, has lost in the opening round here. Osaka certainly looked the part, her iridescent jacket, dress and shoes shimmering in the floodlights.
She made her return in Brisbane a fortnight ago, beating Tamara Korpatsch before a narrow loss to Karolina Pliskova. This was a step up both in occasion and opponent but Osaka showed her serve and groundstrokes have lost none of their potency, drawing grasps from the crowd with her crisp ball-striking.