Japanese sensation Naomi Osaka is out of the WTA 1000 BNP Paribas Open The former World No. 1 and the 2018 champion has been stunned by the 21st seeded Veronika Kudermetova 6-0,6-4 in the second round. Even though this might have been one of the earliest upsets of the tournament, what took the actual light during the match was a shout from a spectator.
The first set of the second-round clash between Naomi Osaka and Veronika Kudermetova started on a dramatic page. Osaka, who lost the first set 6-0, was greatly disturbed and upset following an incident by one of the spectators.
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0-2 down in the set, a lady sitting in stands shouted “Naomi, you suck”. Disturbed by the rattle, Osaka stopped the game in between and moved towards the umpire to have a word. The incident did not end there. Going 0-3 down in the set, Osaka suffered an emotional breakdown during the changeover. The breakdown further forced an official to come up to her and have a word with her.
Confirmed from a couple people that the woman in the stadium shouted “Naomi, you suck!”, not something directed at Kudermetova (or Russia) after all.
Osaka considerably rattled by it, there’s an official out talking to her on this changeover as she’s down 0-3.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) March 13, 2022
Composing herself back from the incident, the 20-year-old stepped back on the court, in the hope to get back her momentum. However, being mentally disturbed by the incident, the four-time champion failed to focus back on the game, losing the match to Veronika.
Naomi Osaka out of the Indian Wells
Playing her first tournament since the Australian Open, Naomi Osaka opened her Indian Wells campaign with a first-round win against American player Sloane Stephens. With the win, she set up a second-round clash with the 21st seeded Veronika Kudermetova.
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Being their first career meeting, both the players appeared in decent form as the two stepped on the court. However, Kudermetova drew first blood, breaking Osaka to take a 2-0 lead. The third game of the first set was accompanied by the spectator drama, following which Osaka lost control, losing the first set 0-6.
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Composing herself back to the game, the Japanese made a comeback in the second set, raising her game to give a toe-to-toe fight to Kudermetova. However, it was not enough as Kudermetova won the second set 6-4. In the process, she sealed the contest in straight sets.