Sorana Cirstea, Naomi Osaka have post-match tiff at Australian Open
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Tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Sorana Cirstea clashed at the end of their Australian Open match on Thursday.
Osaka came to a bitter end in Cirstea’s last Australian Open match, defeating the Romanian player 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Cirstea, who greeted her at the net for a post-match handshake, said something to Osaka.
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Japan’s Naomi Osaka, right, talks with Romania’s Sorana Cirstea (left) after their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
She slapped Osaka’s hand and then walked towards the referee. Osaka asked, “What was that for?” he asked.
Cirstea didn’t seem to like Osaka trying to get herself excited during the match.
In the post-match interview, Osaka said, “There was a lot of ‘Come on’ that she was apparently angry about, but whatever.” “I mean, I tried to play well, I tried to do my best. She’s a great player; I think it was her last Australian Open, so, okay, I’m sorry she got upset about that.”
Osaka added that Cirstea might ask her to stop.
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Japan’s Naomi Osaka returns a forehand to Romania’s Sorana Cirstea during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Osaka entered the tournament ranked 16th. He has won the Australian Open twice in his career but has not advanced past the third round since 2021. He is preparing for his third round match against Maddison Inglis on Friday.
Cirstea announced in December that the 2026 season would be its last run in professional tennis. He only made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka steps out for her second-round match against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
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He has three singles titles in his career but no Grand Slam titles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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