The Fort Worth Press - Naomi Osaka's Indian Wells ends in tears

USD -
AED 3.673042
AFN 73.115207
ALL 94.299186
AMD 398.437872
ANG 1.797019
AOA 914.503981
ARS 1053.827213
AUD 1.573564
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.70397
BAM 1.862933
BBD 2.01324
BDT 121.150641
BGN 1.862933
BHD 0.376625
BIF 2952.421775
BMD 1
BND 1.33781
BOB 6.889556
BRL 5.704704
BSD 0.997095
BTN 86.442825
BWP 13.753393
BYN 3.263133
BYR 19600
BZD 2.002858
CAD 1.41895
CDF 2866.000362
CHF 0.899766
CLF 0.024543
CLP 941.83931
CNY 7.254041
CNH 7.259304
COP 4125.160737
CRC 505.596038
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 105.02929
CZK 23.852704
DJF 177.558699
DKK 7.111125
DOP 61.980283
DZD 135.26218
EGP 50.596752
ERN 15
ETB 127.714435
EUR 0.952604
FJD 2.297304
FKP 0.803654
GBP 0.794565
GEL 2.82504
GGP 0.803654
GHS 15.405058
GIP 0.803654
GMD 71.503851
GNF 8620.279087
GTQ 7.69729
GYD 208.610754
HKD 7.78461
HNL 25.419822
HRK 7.225076
HTG 130.466257
HUF 383.42504
IDR 16179.85
ILS 3.54655
IMP 0.803654
INR 86.630504
IQD 1306.186598
IRR 42087.503816
ISK 140.050386
JEP 0.803654
JMD 157.451064
JOD 0.709504
JPY 152.301504
KES 128.970805
KGS 87.450384
KHR 3991.998857
KMF 468.603794
KPW 900.090061
KRW 1441.430383
KWD 0.30832
KYD 0.830881
KZT 495.727961
LAK 21669.762347
LBP 89289.612802
LKR 294.680192
LRD 198.923656
LSL 18.321665
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.892127
MAD 9.954565
MDL 18.645521
MGA 4696.861456
MKD 58.608373
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3461.151901
MOP 7.993904
MRU 39.694242
MUR 46.470378
MVR 15.403739
MWK 1728.818403
MXN 20.301504
MYR 4.434504
MZN 63.903729
NAD 18.321665
NGN 1515.000344
NIO 36.690956
NOK 11.126835
NPR 138.30833
NZD 1.745673
OMR 0.38475
PAB 0.997095
PEN 3.704529
PGK 4.010097
PHP 57.695038
PKR 278.325761
PLN 3.97197
PYG 7856.360432
QAR 3.634995
RON 4.743404
RSD 111.568319
RUB 90.965376
RWF 1398.961756
SAR 3.75053
SBD 8.432716
SCR 14.38015
SDG 601.000339
SEK 10.69502
SGD 1.339104
SHP 0.823587
SLE 22.750371
SLL 20969.505638
SOS 569.795685
SRD 35.223038
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.724103
SYP 13003.016048
SZL 18.317855
THB 33.738038
TJS 10.883269
TMT 3.5
TND 3.157022
TOP 2.342104
TRY 36.24933
TTD 6.766681
TWD 32.680504
TZS 2592.46559
UAH 41.490784
UGX 3669.095585
UYU 43.310949
UZS 12955.184074
VES 61.976954
VND 25390
VUV 123.663246
WST 2.837369
XAF 624.810211
XAG 0.031102
XAU 0.000347
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.763442
XOF 624.810211
XPF 113.597181
YER 248.000331
ZAR 18.359804
ZMK 9001.203587
ZMW 28.093537
ZWL 321.999592
  • SCS

    -0.0700

    12.35

    -0.57%

  • VOD

    -0.0700

    8.36

    -0.84%

  • BTI

    -0.7900

    38.82

    -2.04%

  • NGG

    -0.5400

    60.73

    -0.89%

  • GSK

    -0.3800

    36.17

    -1.05%

  • CMSC

    0.0900

    23.5

    +0.38%

  • RBGPF

    63.5700

    63.57

    +100%

  • RYCEF

    0.0200

    7.84

    +0.26%

  • CMSD

    0.1872

    23.69

    +0.79%

  • BCC

    1.0300

    121.63

    +0.85%

  • BCE

    0.1900

    23.82

    +0.8%

  • RIO

    0.0700

    63.36

    +0.11%

  • BP

    0.5100

    35

    +1.46%

  • RELX

    -0.8400

    51.07

    -1.64%

  • AZN

    -0.8700

    73.58

    -1.18%

  • JRI

    0.0435

    12.83

    +0.34%

Naomi Osaka's Indian Wells ends in tears
Naomi Osaka's Indian Wells ends in tears

Naomi Osaka's Indian Wells ends in tears

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka was reduced to tears by a heckler Saturday on the way to a 6-0, 6-4 second-round loss to Veronika Kudermetova at Indian Wells.

Text size:

Japan's Osaka, ranked 78th in the world after her third-round exit at the Australian Open, was rocked early in the first set when someone in the crowd yelled "Naomi, you suck."

She was unable to convince the chair umpire to take action and at 0-3 down her emotions spilled over.

Osaka quickly pulled herself together and resumed the match, but even though she raised her game in the second set she could find no answer for Kudermetova, a finalist this year in the Melbourne Summer Set and in Dubai.

Osaka put athlete mental health in the spotlight in a difficult 2021 in which she revealed she had suffered depression.

But speaking on court after the match she said it wasn't that she found the comment so hurtful that she was upset, but because it reminded her of Venus and Serena Williams being heckled at Indian Wells in 2001.

"To be honest I feel like I've been heckled before it didn't really bother me," she said.

"But, like, I've watched a video of Venus and Serena being heckled here.

"If you've never watched it you should watch it," she added, tearing up again before she congratulated Kudermetova on the win and departed the court.

Kudermetova, who had been looking forward to her first career meeting with Osaka, said she didn't know what the spectator said, she just knew her opponent was upset.

"I didn't hear what the lady say because I really was so focused on my game, on my serve game, I didn't understand what she say.

"But after that moment, I saw that Naomi, she start to cry. I don't understand what's happen."

With Osaka's defeat the women's field in the prestigious WTA and ATP Masters hard court tournament lost another big name.

Aryna Sabalenka, at number three the highest-ranked woman in the field, crashed out of her opening match as Italian Jasmine Paolini rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph.

Sabalenka was seeded second in a tournament missing both world number one Ashleigh Barty and second-ranked Barbora Krejcikova.

Both were late withdrawals, Barty saying she hadn't had time to prepare after her Australian Open triumph and Krejcikova with an elbow injury.

Sabalenka got off to a strong start against the 46th-ranked Italian, but Paolini was able to capitalize on her struggles on serve that included 10 double faults.

Paolini admitted that after dropping the first set by a large margin, victory was the last thing on her mind.

"I mean, the score was 6-2 for her," she said. "I wasn't even close to her.

"But then, point by point I started to believe it."

- Defending champ Badosa wins -

Sabalenka's exit opens things up for former world number one Victoria Azarenka, seeded 13th, and sixth seed Maria Sakkari of Greece -- both in the same quarter of the draw.

Sakkari opened her campaign with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Czech Katerina Siniakova.

Azarenka, seeded 13th, beat Australian Astra Sharma 6-3, 7-5.

Spain's Paula Badosa kicked off her title defense with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Czech Tereza Martincova.

Badosa had lost three prior meetings with Martincova, although all had come before the Spaniard launched herself into the top 10 with her Indian Wells victory in October, when a pandemic delay shifted the event from its usual March slot.

In other second-round action, Australian qualifier Daria Saville toppled ninth-seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur 7-5, 6-7 (0/7), 6-4.

US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez of Canada saved four match points in the second set and won a tiebreaker to force a third before Amanda Anisimova retired because of illness.

H.Carroll--TFWP