NY Times · Jan 21, 2022
Naomi Osaka Loses at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion who nearly walked away from tennis last year, was eliminated from the Australian Open on Friday by the unseeded American Amanda Anisimova.
Anisimova prevailed in three tense sets, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-5), after saving two match points in the third set.
Osaka, 24, was returning to major-tournament action in Melbourne after taking an extended break from the game to rekindle her love of the sport. Her return came after an unusually emotional year in which her openness about her mental health struggles had altered the discussion of both her successes and her more recent — and painfully public — disappointments.