Defending champion
Naomi Osaka is out of the
Australian Open after losing out to
Amanda Anisimova and after the match, she was in high spirits despite the loss.
It was a well-fought match where Anisimova outplayed Osaka in the crucial stretch of the match especially towards the end. One key of her game as well as the return which created a lot of trouble for Osaka and she admitted it after the match:
"I thought her return was definitely really amazing. I almost felt like I was fighting for my life out there in some games. I honestly also thought that I won certain games just based on sheer willpower."
Osaka also credited her opponent for her game saying that she put her in a place she is not really that comfortable:
"I thought definitely in the rallies she was dictating a bit more, which was kind of a new feeling for me. Granted, I've never played her before, so I didn't know the pace of her ball, but it was definitely a bit jarring to be on my back foot in most of the rallies, and I felt like it was a bit like table-tennis tennis, where it was just really fast and then suddenly she would hit a shorter ball and I would be so far behind I couldn't really come in, like I was comfortable enough to."
In the end she finished on a positive note saying:
"For me, I feel like I grew a lot in this match. The last match that I
played in New York I think I had a completely different attitude, so -
you know, of course I lost, but I'm happy with how it went. I fought for every point. I can't be sad about that. You know, I'm not God. I can't win every match."