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ESPN News Services
Jan 22, 2026, 06:27 AM ET
Naomi Osaka ended Sorana Cirstea‘s farewell to the Australian Open in a tense 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win at Margaret Court Arena on Thursday night. Cirstea’s parting shot was at the net.
The pair barely exchanged a handshake over the net, with Cirstea glancing in Osaka’s direction briefly and then turning her head away.
As they walked toward the umpire’s chair, Osaka asked: “What was that for?”
Cirstea responded directly to the two-time Australian Open winner, apparently upset with Osaka’s efforts to pump herself up during the match.
Osaka turned again and waved to the crowd and, in an on-court TV interview, tried to explain what happened.
“Apparently a lot of ‘c’mons’ that she was angry about, but whatever,” Osaka said. “I mean, I tried to play well, I tried my best. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so, OK, sorry she was mad about it.”
Osaka got emotional when asked to clarify why the tensions heightened, saying, “She could have asked me [to stop].”
“Honestly … no one’s ever complained about it before,” she said. “Also, the umpire didn’t tell me I was wrong. The umpire said I was fine. Like, I thought we moved past it.”
She said she was open to talking it over with Cirstea.
“I guess that emotions were very high for her. I also want to apologize,” Osaka said. “I think the first couple things that I said on the court was disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.”
Cirstea said the issue was blown out of proportion and that she would prefer to reflect on her decades of experience at the Australian Open.
“There was no drama. It was just a five-second exchange between two players that have been on tour for a long time,” she said. “It stays between us.”
The tense finish was in stark contrast to Osaka’s grand entrance that went viral two days earlier for her first-round win over Antonia Ruzic.
The No. 16-seeded Osaka didn’t make quite the same entrance this time, dispensing with the couture wide-brimmed hat, veil and parasol but still wearing the jellyfish-inspired dress, a matching warmup jacket in the same blue and green aquatic hues, and a visor.
“Just something fun I like to do on the court. I like to express myself through clothes,” Osaka said of her prematch walk-on designs, adding, “I’m really glad that you love it.”
Looking up at two women in the crowd who had replicas of the wide-brimmed hat and veil that she wore for her walk-on in the previous match, Osaka told them, “You guys look really cool, by the way.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Originally published at ESPN
