Two-time Australian Open champion, Naomi Osaka is all set to face the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova in the second round (R64) of the 2025 AO. Both these players made their comeback last year, Osaka came back after giving birth to her daughter, while Muchova made a comeback from an injury. Interestingly, Muchova hasn’t lost before the SF in all her last four tournaments. On the other hand, Osaka looked quite excited ahead of this epic matchup. Shortly after clinching victory in her first match, she was heard saying, “Once you get a difficult draw, you can prove that you’re the best of the best. So for me, it’s the most fun moment.” Can she be the better performer in this match?

Naomi Osaka vs Karolina Muchova: Preview

Naomi Osaka played around 38 matches last season and her best results came at the Qatar Open and s-Hertogenbosch, NL. She reached the QF in both of these tournaments. However, she got off to an outstanding start in her 2025 season, Osaka reached the final of the ASB Classic, but unfortunately, she had to retire after winning the first set by 6-4 due to an abdominal injury. Naomi Osaka will be entering this contest following her strong comeback in the first match of the 2025 AO. Her fans were a bit worried considering her injury concern in the previous tournament. However, her 6-3,3-6,6-3 win over Caroline Garcia (FRA) is more than enough to say she’s back at her full fitness levels.

From Caroline to Karolina! The 28-year-old Czech tennis player is also entering this contest following a comprehensive 6-1,6-1 victory over Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska. If we take a look at her 2024 season, Karolina Muchova reached the final of the Palermo Ladies Open last year but she was defeated by China’s Qinwen Zheng in that match. After that, she reached the SF of the US Open, but even there she failed to deliver when it mattered the most. Jessica Pegula defeated her in a three-set thriller! After that, she reached the final of the China Open where Coco Gauff beat her by 6-1,6-3. Even in Ningbo, Muchova reached the SF but she was forced to give a walkover in that match.

Osaka vs Muchova: Head-to-Head

Naomi Osaka has faced Karolina Muchova three times in her career so far. Currently, the Czech has a 2-1 lead over the Japanese in the H2H record. Can Osaka pull things on level terms with a win in the second round of the 2025 AO?

• 2024 US Open R64: Muchova 6-3,7-6(5).
• 2021 Madrid R32: Muchova 6-4,3-6,6-1.
• 2020 Cincinnati R32: Osaka 6(5)-7,6-4,6-2.

Prediction: Muchova to win in three sets

Naomi Osaka (51) is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but on the other hand, Karolina Muchova’s best record at the AO has been reaching the SF in 2021. Despite having a better record in this tournament, what keeps the Czech ahead of this Japanese superstar? Well, in short, it’d be consistency! Karolina Muchova (20) has been a very consistent performer in her last few tournaments. However, although Osaka reached the final in Auckland, we’ve seen her struggle a bit to find a bit of consistency in her game in the last twelve months. Osaka had a win-loss record of 21-17 in 2024 while on the other hand, Muchova recorded 21-8.

Considering their playing styles, Naomi Osaka has an aggressive baseline game. Her incredible raw power, especially on her forehand and her serve is truly quite exceptional. She is also also good server and if take a look at the numbers, Osaka hit 237 aces last season and committed just 100 double faults. Her incredible grit to win rallies gives her the edge in the challenging situations in her matches.

On the other hand, Karolina Muchova is an aggressive all-court player. She possesses an intelligent game and can also bring up a lot of variation during her matches. Her powerful groundstrokes can be pretty handy on this surface. She can use both her forehand and backhand to hit winners from any position on the court.

Apart from that, she also incorporates softer shots, like lobs, sliced backhands, and even drop shots to disrupt the rhythm of her opponents. She can also generate some real power behind her serves and Muchova is also quite proficient at defending her first serve. Her footwork, speed, and anticipation are very much extraordinary. So, considering all these aspects and their form in the last few months we’re keeping Karolina Muchova slightly ahead in this battle, but at the same time, we expect Naomi Osaka to give a tough fight!