By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Naomi Osaka said she was enjoying a little bit of revenge against Karolina Muchova at the Australian Open on Wednesday, recalling how the Czech had ended her U.S. Open campaign last year when she was sporting her “best outfit ever”.
Osaka, who fought back from a set down to beat the 20th seed 1-6 6-1 6-3 and reach the third round at Melbourne Park, turned heads at Flushing Meadows last August with a tennis dress featuring tiered ruffles and a giant white bow.
She only got to wear it as far as the second round in New York, however.
“She crushed me at the U.S. Open when I had my best outfit ever,” four-times Grand Slam champion Osaka said as spectators at the Kia Arena burst into laughter.
“I was so disappointed. I was so mad, but this was my little revenge. It’s not a bad thing, revenge is competitive. But yeah, it means a lot. She’s one of the toughest opponents out there.”
Up next for Osaka is Swiss Belinda Bencic, who returned to the tour late last year after giving birth to her daughter.
Osaka made her own comeback 12 months ago after a maternity break during which she had a daughter.
“It probably adds extra stuff for you guys. Not necessarily for me,” Osaka told reporters.
“I think we’re labelled ‘moms’ of course. I think when you go on the tennis court, you just think of yourself as a tennis player, first of all.
“I haven’t caught up with her because I haven’t seen her.”
Tokyo Olympics champion Bencic leads the pair’s head-to-head record 3-2 but Osaka won their last meeting in the semi-finals of Miami three years ago where the Japanese player lost in the final.
“I know she’s an incredibly tough player. She fights a lot,” added Osaka, who is looking to win her first title since a 2021 triumph at Melbourne Park.
“I don’t want to say I’ve grown up with her, but we’ve definitely seen each other on tour. It’s really cool that she also had a baby and she came back as well.
“She seems to be doing really good. So yeah, I think it’s going to be fun.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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