Naomi Osaka’s comeback to the Grand Slam stage at the Australian Open was cut short by a surprise loss to France’s Caroline Garcia in the first round.
The two-time champion, who had not played a major since winning the US Open in September 2022 before taking a maternity break, fell 6-4 7-6 (7-2) to the 16th seed in a tight contest.
“I felt like I did the best that I could possibly do. I was a little bit overthinking in my head,” Osaka said.
While Osaka bowed out, US Open champion Coco Gauff breezed into the second round with a convincing win.
The 19-year-old American, who claimed her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in September, thrashed Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3 6-0 in just 55 minutes.
“I told myself: ‘I feel good, I look good so just have fun.’ I was able to relax,” the fourth seed said.
But there was another shock exit on day two at Melbourne Park, as Wimbledon champion and seventh seed Marketa Vondrousova was ousted by China’s Wang Qiang in three sets.
