Sick Naomi Osaka suffers loss to Maria Sakkari at tennis’ United Cup
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Naomi Osaka of Japan in action during her 6-4, 6-2 loss to Maria Sakkari of Greece during the United Cup in Perth on Jan 2.
PHOTO: EPA
Follow topic:
- Naomi Osaka cited illness after losing to Maria Sakkari at the United Cup, saying she was "really sick" over Christmas but is improving.
- Stefanos Tsitsipas secured Greece's victory over Japan with a win over Shintaro Mochizuki, following Sakkari's earlier triumph.
- Argentina defeated Spain 3-0, with wins from Sebastian Baez and Solana Sierra, who highlighted her focus and resilience.
AI generated
PERTH – Naomi Osaka said that she fell “really sick” over Christmas and was not at her best when the world No. 16 suffered a straight-set loss to 52nd-ranked Maria Sakkari at tennis’ United Cup on Jan 2.
The Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion was seen coughing at times during her 6-4, 6-2 defeat by her Greek opponent at RAC Arena in Perth.
The result gave Greece a 1-0 lead in their Group E clash, before Stefanos Tsitsipas then sealed victory with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Shintaro Mochizuki shortly after.
“I have been dealing with some health stuff, so I’m kind of just happy to be out here right now,” said Osaka.
“It’s not serious, but I’m not operating at the per cent that I want to be operating at, which kind of sucks, because I had a really good off-season, so I thought I was going to do really well here. But then I got really sick, so I think I’m at the tail end of that, but still not amazing.”
The 28-year-old added: “I’m just trying to get better every day. I had a cough, a runny nose, like all that nasty stuff, so hopefully it goes away before the Australian Open.”
Sakkari, meanwhile, believed that she played well regardless of Osaka’s condition.
“I have a very good backhand cross,” said the 30-year-old.
“And we had a lot of battles going across to each other, so I felt whoever just went down the line first had the best chance of winning the point. It was something we worked on in pre-season a lot and it paid off today.”
In the dead-rubber mixed doubles, Sakkari and Tsitsipas beat Yasutaka Uchiyama and Nao Hibino 6-2, 6-3.
Britain are the other team in the group, with Osaka scheduled to face Emma Raducanu on Jan 4.
Ties comprise one men’s and one women’s singles and a mixed doubles, with the three group winners in each city advancing to the quarter-finals along with the best runner-up.
Earlier in the day, Sebastian Baez and Solana Sierra led Argentina to a 3-0 win over Spain in Group A to begin the tournament.
The South Americans got over the line after tournament debutant Sierra held her nerve for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Baez got his country on the scoreboard with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Jaume Munar, earning a surprise hard-court win after just three victories in 15 matches on the surface last season.
“I really enjoyed this moment, the time on court, so happy to have won this point for Argentina,” he said.
Sierra showed grit to claw back in her match and take it to a third set. “It was a really tough match, I had to focus on my game,” she said. “I’m proud that I kept going and won in the third set.”
In the dead-rubber mixed doubles, Guido Andreozzi and Maria Lourdes Carle downed Yvonne Carvalle-Reimers and Inigo Cervantes 7-6 (8-6), 6-2. AFP, REUTERS
