What happened between Naomi Osaka and Sorana Cirstea at the Australian Open? Tense interaction explored

Naomi Osaka and Sorana Cirstea's tense post-match exchange stole the show, overshadowing their competitive and nail-biting match at the Australian Open. The incident occurred during the second round of the Australian Open.

In a nail-biting match between the two, where it could have gone either way, Naomi Osaka won 6-3, 4-6, and 6-2. Before taking the opening set, she absorbed early pressure and got out to a great start. By the second set, Cirstea responded by taking advantage of Osaka's lack of consistency to force a deciding set. Osaka reset, increased her intensity, and pulled away late in the third set to secure the victory.

As soon as the match ended, tensions broke out. When Osaka offered her hand for a handshake, Cirstea gave her a cold one and then went on to make comments close to the umpire's chair. Before the Romanian left, Osaka inquired, clearly surprised,

"What was that for?"

The scene was caught on camera, and it soon went viral on social media.

Naomi Osaka apologizes for disrespecting Sorana Cirstea

Osaka's constant "come on" self-encouragement during rallies, especially in between Cirstea's first and second serves, is said to have been the source of Cirstea's annoyance. Speaking about it in her post-match on-court interview, Osaka stated:

"Apparently a lot of 'come ons' that she was angry about."

The interviewer then inquired as to whether Cirstea's complaints stemmed from the fact that she could hear Naomi Osaka attempting to boost her energy between the Romanian's first and second serves. Naomi replied:

"I think so, but like, she could have asked me. I'm sorry. She's a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so sorry she was mad about it."

The former world number one added in a later news conference:

"I'm a little confused. I guess that emotions were very high for her. I also want to apologise. I think the first couple of things that I said on the court were disrespectful. I don't like disrespecting people. That's not what I do."

Cirstea, who had announced that this year's Australian Open would be her last, added that there is no "no drama" between her and the four-time major winner:

"It was just a five-second exchange between two players that have been on a tour for a long time. It stays between us."

Cirstea added:

"Look, this is my last Australian Open. I have been playing for 20 years. It's more going on than a five-second discussion at the end that I had with Naomi."

Despite winning the Australian Open twice in her career, Naomi Osaka hasn't advanced past the third round since 2021. On Friday, she will face Australia's Maddison Inglis in the third round.

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more information.

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