Photo: TPN/Getty; Juergen Hasenkopf/Shutterstock
Two of tennis' biggest stars are out of the 2020 Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka, theAustralian Open’s reigning women’s championfrom Japan, andSerena Williams— a 23-time major champ fresh offher victory at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand — both lost in the third round of tennis matches on Friday.
Their defeats at Melbourne Park were two of the biggest Open upsets.
Prior to that, in the bracket’s same quarter, Williams, 38, lost to Wang Qiang 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5, according to the outlet.
Wang, who is 10 years Williams' junior, at 28 years old, is ranked as the No. 27 seed.
Serena Williams.Jason Heidrich/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Naomi Osaka.Hannah Peters/Getty
Both Osaka and Williams were disappointed after their setbacks.
“You don’t want to lose to a 15-year-old, you know?“Osaka said in her post-game interview. “Her serve is way better. I feel like I wasn’t really swinging freely, and she was.”
“[Entering the third set] I was optimistic I would be able to win,“Williams told the pressfollowing the match.“I thought, ‘Okay, now finish this off.’ I honestly didn’t think I was going to lose that match.”
“She served well. I didn’t return like Serena,” she added. “Honestly, if we were just honest with ourselves, it’s all on my shoulders. I lost that match. I can’t play like that. I literally can’t do that again. It’s unprofessional. It’s not cool. So it is what it is.”
Coco Gauff.Kelly Defina/Getty
After that defeat, Osaka famously consoled a crying Gauff and included her in her post-win interview.
“I wanted to leave the court because I lost,” Gauff laughed while looking back at the moment during an appearance onTodaythat same month. “And [Osaka] was like ‘No, come with me’ and I was just shocked because no one ever does that.”
She explained that while she knew Osaka, they weren’t close at the time. “Obviously now we talk a lot more because of that moment,” she revealed. “I couldn’t thank her enough and I was really shocked. It was an emotional moment — good and bad emotions.”
But the young tennis star showed off different emotions after her win against Osaka on Friday.
“Honestly, like, what is my life? Like, oh, my gosh!” Gaufftold the crowdduring her on-court interview. “Two years ago, I lost first round in juniors, and now I’m here. This is crazy.”
The teenager also joked about wanting to take “a selfie for Instagram” with 11-time major champion Rod Laver.
Caroline Wozniacki.Clive Brunskill/Getty
Meanwhile, Osaka and Williams weren’t the only previous Australian Open champs to fall Friday.
The loss was especially hard for the athlete as it was her last match as a professional tennis player.
“The farewell I got today was absolutely incredible! Watching this video still gives me goose bumps! Thank you everyone for all the love and support over the years! Excited for what the future holds!❤️” thetennis star wrote on Instagramfollowing the match.
Back in December,Wozniackitold PEOPLEthat she would retire after the Australian Open, to focus on her health and her family.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time,” she said in the exclusive interview. “It’s obviously not an easy decision, and I don’t think it ever would be. Tennis is something that I’ve done for my entire life, and I wake up and I practice and I play tournaments, but there’s so many other things out there that I’d love to do.”
She continued on to explain her love of the Australian Open, the tournament where she won her first grand slam title.
“I love it there,” she said. “The support there for me has always been amazing.”
In 2018, Wozniacki was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. She joked through tears about the condition in her Friday post-game interview, per ESPN, and said, “I think it was only fitting that my last match ended with a forehand error.”
Ons Jabeur will now face off against Qiang in the next match.Gauff’s next opponent will be 21-year-old American Sofia Kenin.
source: people.com
