Naomi Osaka won a full-circle match on Rod Laver Arena well after midnight Tuesday morning, scoring a 6-3, 3-6, 6-X win over Caroline Garcia in a rematch of their 2024 Australian Open first round.
“I feel like I grinded on the tour a little bit,” Osaka laughed when asked what made the difference. “It’s a really big coincidence that I’m playing here again but I just tried to do my best. I know we played the night match here last time, as well. It felt a little familiar”
Garcia got the better of Osaka exactly 12 months ago when the former world No. 1 was making a comeback from maternity leave, but Osaka got her revenge in style on Rod Laver Arena, weathering a second-set surge from the former world No. 4 to win in one hour and 45 minutes.
A two-time Australian Open champion, Osaka has been hungry to reach the heights she enjoyed before leaving tour to start a family, giving birth to daughter Shai in the summer of 2023. The 27-year-old played a full season the following year that saw flashes of her best—notably a thrilling Roland Garros clash with then world No. 1 Iga Swiatek—but mostly mixed results as she failed to make it past the second round at any of the four major tournaments.
After shutting down her season due to a back injury, Osaka hit the ground running at the ASB Classic, where she reached her first final since the 2022 Miami Open, and though she retired injured against Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam winner was hopeful the momentum earned alongside new coach Patrick Mouratoglou would carry her into Melbourne.
