Naomi Osaka's Wimbledon comeback cut short with devastating loss

London, UK - Naomi Osaka's first Wimbledon campaign in five years was emphatically halted by a swift second-round defeat to world number 17 Emma Navarro.

Naomi Osaka's first Wimbledon campaign in five years was emphatically halted by a swift second-round defeat on Wednesday.
Naomi Osaka's first Wimbledon campaign in five years was emphatically halted by a swift second-round defeat on Wednesday.  © IMAGO / PanoramiC

Wild card Osaka entered Centre Court buoyed by her first victory at the All England Club since 2018 following a mixture of injury and mental health struggles, plus the birth of daughter Shai.

But the four-time grand slam champion was unable to build on her three-set opening win over Diane Parry as Navarro comfortably progressed 6-4, 6-1 in just 59 minutes on Wednesday.

The victorious 23-year-old will next take on Russian world number 30 Diana Shnaider, who last week beat her en route to claiming the Bad Homburg Open title.

"Naomi's obviously a great player, it's great to have her back," Navarro said on the court.

"I was able to play some good tennis at times – my first time on Centre Court. I've been having a lot of fun on grass. Today was no exception."

Japanese world number 113 Osaka feels elements of her game have improved since she twice won the US Open and the Australian Open between 2018 and 2021 as she seeks to hit previous heights following maternity leave.

Cover photo: IMAGO / PanoramiC

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