The Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, number 2 in the world, was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Olympic women’s singles tournament, losing this Tuesday with the Czech Marketa Vondrousova by a clear 6-1 and 6-4, in just one hour and 10 minutes into the game.
Osaka, who had already been the protagonist in these Tokyo Games for being in charge of lighting the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony last Friday, aspired to give Japan its first gold in tennis.
However, Osaka did not face the challenge in the best conditions, since in Tokyo he returned to the tour after more than two months of absence, since he retired after passing the first round at Roland Garros alleging mental health problems.
On a day marked by rain, which interrupted all matches for a long time, except those on the center court of Ariake Tennis Park, which has a retractable roof, Osaka started the match badly, losing its first two services and despite the fact that tried to react, could not save the set. In front of a very solid player with experience (Vondrousova is 42 of the WTA and finalist of Roland Garros in 2019), and that she made very few errors (just 10, against 32 of the Japanese), Osaka started with a break the second set, but lost the lead shortly after. With 5-4 in favor of the Czech, the four-time Grand Slam winner saved two match points, but was no longer able to lift the third, thus saying goodbye to the Olympic dream.
The women’s team is thus left without its top three contenders for gold, since the world number 1, the Australian Ashleigh Barty, was eliminated in the first round by the Spanish Sara Sorribes, and the Belarusian was also fired Aryna Sabalenka. It is the first time in Olympic tennis history that none of the top three seeds have reached the quarterfinals. The favorites debacle dragged other candidates like the Polish Iga Swiatek and the Czech Petra Kvitova.
Vondrousova, for her part, will play the quarterfinals against the winner of the match between the Spanish Paula Badosa, 29th in the ranking, and la argentina Nadia Podoroska (38).
