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via Reuters

via Reuters

World #2 Naomi Osaka returned to competitive action at the Tokyo Olympics for the first time since withdrawing from the French Open. Although she cruised past China’s Zheng Saisai and Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in her first two matches, she faced a tremendous challenge in Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova today.

Home favorite crashes out in embarrassing fashion

The Japanese star suffered a shock upset at the hands of Vondrousova, who took an impressive straight sets victory. Although Osaka fought back in the second set, she couldn’t save herself from losing 1-6, 4-6 to the unseeded Czech.

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The defeat means Osaka‘s challenge to clinch a gold medal on home soil ended in disappointing fashion. Despite that, there’s no doubt that Vondrousova was better on the day than the World #2. This marked Osaka’s first defeat before the quarterfinals of a hard court tournament since the 2020 Australian Open.

via Reuters

After the match, tennis fans took to Twitter to express their feelings of shock and awe after the biggest upset of the Tokyo Olympics. Here are some of the best reactions to Osaka’s defeat on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/iamwoleojo/status/1419878610534608913?s=20

https://twitter.com/iamwoleojo/status/1419882685057675273?s=20

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How will Naomi Osaka bounce back?

via Reuters

We can best assess this devastating loss as an error-strewn contest. Losing to the unseeded Czech youngster would hamper the world #2’s confidence ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year. However, if there’s anyone who knows how to bounce back from defeat, it’s Naomi Osaka.

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How does Naomi Osaka bounce back from this massive loss? Will the former US Open Champion make a triumphant return at the tournament that brought her fame and recognition?

READ MORE: Tokyo Olympics 2020 Women?s Tennis Favorite Naomi Osaka Knocked Out by Marketa Vondrousova