Naomi Osaka Miraculously Recovers To Topple Karolina Muchova At Australian Open
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Two-time champion Naomi Osaka fought back superbly from a tough opening set to defeat Karolina Muchova in the second round of the Australian Open.
Osaka probably entered the contest with some confidence after a very encouraging start to the 2025 season. She reached her first WTA Final in nearly three years at the ASB Classic during the opening week of the season.
Sadly, the four-time Grand Slam champion had to retire after the opening set of the final against Clara Tauson because of a back spasm. Osaka won that set but felt she could not risk continuing in case it made the issue worse.
Despite admitting before the Australian Open began that an MRI scan for the injury was not as positive as she had hoped, Osaka still managed to defeat Caroline Garcia, who beat her last year, in the opening round.
The Japanese star did well to keep her cool in that contest after the electronic line-calling system made an error, not awarding her a point despite Garcia hitting a shot that replays showed was out by a distance.
Muchova represented a significant challenge for the 2019 and 2021 winner in Melbourne. The Czech beat Osaka in straight sets at last year's US Open at a time when the former WTA world No. 1 was clearly struggling for confidence.
It seemed like Osaka might suffer an even worse beating from Muchova after the opening few games. The 2023 French Open runner-up barely missed a shot and put her illustrious opponent under relentless pressure.
Muchova raced into a 5-0 lead, with her return being particularly impressive. Osaka also struggled to adapt to the 28-year-old's trademark variety. The Czech used her slice effectively and made well-timed rushes to the net.
Osaka avoided losing the opening set 6-0 and then had chances to break at 0-40. However, Muchova produced more glorious tennis to retrieve the situation and win the opener 6-1.
It seemed like a long way back for Osaka, but she imposed herself from the start of the second set by playing much more aggressively. That stopped Muchova from dictating the points like she had been throughout the first.
Osaka reeled off five consecutive games from 1-1 to race to the second set and set up a decider in front of the packed crowd on the Show Court Arena, which generated an excellent atmosphere that got even better in the deciding set.
Muchova saved a break point in the opening game of the third set. Rather than be disheartened, Osaka continued to strike the ball in a manner that was unrecognizable from the first five games of the match, thrilling the fans with several huge winners.
The pressure told on Muchova in the fifth game and she was broken. A crucial moment then came in the next game. The Czech had two chances to strike back at 15-40, but Osaka held her nerve to save them and hold.
Muchova also fought back from 15-40 in her next service game, but it only delayed Osaka's moment. She broke her opponent once more to complete an outstanding 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 win and one of her best moments since returning to tennis last year from maternity leave.
