This year’s US open witnessed a shocking defeat of former top-ranked player Naomi Osaka in the second round to Czech player Karolína Muchová 6-3, 7-6(5) on Thursday night.

The Japenese-American, who clinched the championships in the recent years at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and 2020, has struggled to find that form this year. She has faced difficulties in regaining a previous level of fitness that she had before maternity leave this year. Osaka, who had to sit out this tournament last year due to the birth of her daughter, has been trying to establish herself as a solid player once again.

As everyone saw after the game, the Japanese celebrity even opened up about how much defeats impact her. She was very open about the emotional impact and said that losses are not just a fleeting moment of sadness; they linger with her and influence her outlook on the game. Osaka stated that she feels each loss for her profoundly and that they become milestones in her life as she continues to grapple with the expectations of the sport.

“I think, during the pressure moments, I got nervous and I don’t know if I just have to keep playing more matches and get used to that feeling, especially on a really big stage. Honestly, if I get past the disappointment, I feel pretty proud of myself to have gotten that many opportunities while still feeling like I could have played much better.” she said.

“It’s like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose. I’ve been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them.”

In the seventh game of a very dramatic opening set, Muchová was finally able to solve Osaka’s powerful serve. There were only eight total errors for both players, which means that they both showcased impressive ball control.

She also managed to disrupt Osaka’s serve in the final game of the first set and held her own serve to make it five straight. Muchová had three set points in the second set with the flow on her side, but Osaka managed to level the score at one set each.

Increasing the heat, more came as the match entered into tie-breaks. However, Muchová was relentless and Osaka, despite fighting back from being a set and 4-0 down to take the second set to a tiebreaker after having been down two match points, could not keep up. Muchová won the match because Osaka missed the third match point through a forehand error.

Even much as Muchová participated in the tournament a year ago, where she got to the semifinals, this victory was very important to her especially because she had to defend many of her ranking points. This was evident when she reached her highest career ranking of No. 8 in the world due to the performance, but injuries have had a detrimental effect in reducing her ranking and playing in fewer events. This meant that new equities had to be pulled from the ground since she is ranked 52 right now and every win she can get counts towards the rankings.

“I was just really trying to be focused,” Muchová said after the match, per the WTA. “I know she’s an amazing player and that I have to bring the A-game to have a chance. So I was just trying to be really focused on myself. I knew I have to serve good because her serve is really good. So I was just trying to be kind of locked in myself and focused out there.”

Instead, Osaka faced a difficult match, which added a level of variability to her year. Nevertheless, Osaka changed her perspective and chose to stay positive about the year, stating it was the ‘learning year.’ Despite the fluctuations throughout the campaign, Osaka is undeterred and is seeking to make the most out of every opportunity in order to improve both on and off the playing arena.

“I feel faster. I feel better, but I lost in the second round,” said the 26-year-old. “So it’s a little rough but, also, it’s been fun playing a lot of tournaments. It’s been a commitment for sure, but I’ve been able to go to different cities that I’ve never been to.”

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