Naomi Osaka has reacted to her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka at the 2026 Indian Wells Open and revealed how the Belarusian star’s grunting “tricked” her.
The world No 16 was beaten 6-2, 6-4 by world No 1 Sabalenka in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 tournament in California on Tuesday. Osaka lost her serve three times and she was unable to break Sabalenka.
It was only the second-ever match between Osaka and Sabalenka after the Japanese star’s victory over seven years ago at the 2018 US Open.
Osaka and Sabalenka are two of the biggest stars on the WTA Tour, with the duo each having won four Grand Slam titles.
In her post-match press conference, Osaka was asked if it felt like she was playing Sabalenka for the first time and if the feeling of the Belarusian’s ball was what she had expected.
“No, it definitely felt like playing her for the first time. I think, like, obviously I could watch her on TV or whatever, but in reality, it’s very different,” said the 28-year-old.
“I also feel like I was a little, like, flat-footed sometimes, because I expected the ball to be coming harder but then it didn’t. She grunts the same way for every ball. I was, like, ‘Oh, my God, she tricked me (smiling).’
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“No, it was a cool learning experience. I know we haven’t played for a long time, so I hope that we can play again sometime soon.”
Osaka added: “Yeah, I mean, it was definitely really tough, but honestly, my biggest takeaway is that I had a lot of fun.
“I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to play on Stadium 1, and to play against the No 1 player, it was really cool.”
Osaka defeated Camila Osorio and Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva in her first two matches in Indian Wells.
Prior to her appearance in Tennis Paradise, Osaka had not played since January, when she was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open due to an abdominal injury.
The former world No 1 was asked if she is confident that her injury troubles are behind her.
“Yeah, I mean, I think I’m at an age now where I just have to, I’m at the ripe age of 28, that, I don’t know, I just have to take every day, like today obviously I didn’t win, but I learned a lot. I had a lot of fun, and I didn’t hurt myself,” Osaka said.
“So that’s a W for me. I’m lucky that I’m able to play in Miami. I’m going to be seeded there. It’s quite different from last year, and yeah, I just want to continue doing well.
“Yeah, I look forward to all the Grand Slams… So, it will be a cool year.”
The post Naomi Osaka reveals how Aryna Sabalenka’s grunting ‘tricked’ her in Indian Wells Open loss appeared first on Tennis365.
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