"I'm a little embarrassed": Naomi Osaka apologises after throwing racket at Miami Open

The four-time Grand Slam champion faced a tough challenge against world No. 98 Hailey Baptiste in the Round of 32, eventually securing a hard-fought 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 victory after coming back from a break down in the third set.

The former world No. 1 showed visible frustration in the deciding set, throwing her racket while trailing Baptiste 2-4. Osaka addressed the incident in her press conference and issued an apology for her actions.

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"Yeah, today was an emotional day for me. I was saying that I'm a little embarrassed for how much I threw my racket, which is something that I don't like to be known for. So, very very sorry to Yonex about that."

Despite the incident, Osaka secured an important win, reaching the Round of 16 for the third time in her last five WTA 1000 appearances. However, in her last two attempts at this stage (Rome Open and China Open 2024), she failed to progress further.

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The 27-year-old is now on a three-match winning streak, having previously defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva and Liudmila Samsonova before overcoming Baptiste. She also reflected on how she tried to maintain a positive mindset throughout the match:

"But I also feel like I was trying to be really positive and really vocal. So, I might have been a little annoying to her on that end, too. But I felt like I needed to do that to, I guess, push myself to continue. In that regard, this match was very difficult."

Osaka, currently ranked world No. 61, will now face sixth seed Jasmine Paolini for a place in the quarter-finals. The two-time Grand Slam runner-up advanced after Ons Jabeur (31st seed) retired due to injury while trailing 3-4 in the first set.

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