Naomi Osaka, arguably one of the top Tennis stars in Japan and the World had her Olympic dreams of a medal crushed after a 3rd round loss to Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousov on Tuesday 27th July. Playing in her second match since abruptly withdrawing at the French Open due to mental health issues, Osaka cut a dejected figure as her Olympic dream ended in brutal fashion.
Speaking after the loss, Osaka opened up on her disappointment. "How disappointed am I? I mean, I'm disappointed in every loss, but I feel like this one sucks more than the others," said the four-time grand slam winner. Osaka dropped serve in the opening game and was broken twice more as the 42nd-ranked Vondrousova raced away with the first set. The 23-year-old grappled with inconsistency, and even when given a sniff of getting back in the game, she had no response to Vondrousova's array of crafty shots. The Czech national beat Osaka 6-1, 6-4 as she fully capitalized on mistakes in the third round. The Japanese star had 32 unforced errors and won only 49% of her points when serving.
The top two women's tennis players have now lost at the Olympics. Top-ranked Ash Barty of Australia lost in straight sets in the tournament opener. Vondrousova will go on to face Spain's Paula Badosa in the quarter-finals.
DISCLAIMER: TeamKenya.co.ke is not affiliated with the Kenyan Olympics team
Disclaimer : Teamkenya.co.ke is not affiliated with the Kenyan Olympics team