Naomi Osaka advanced to the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Sorana Cirstea, but the match ended in controversy over Osaka's vocal celebrations. Cirstea complained to the umpire about Osaka's shouts, leading to a frosty post-match exchange. Osaka later expressed regret and apologized for her on-court words.
In a match marked by rising tension, Naomi Osaka defeated Sorana Cirstea in the second round of the Australian Open on January 22, 2026, at Melbourne Park. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, recovered from losing the second set to secure a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win in two hours on Margaret Court Arena. This victory avenged Osaka's 2015 Grand Slam qualifying loss to Cirstea at Wimbledon, where the Romanian prevailed 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.
The drama unfolded late in the deciding set. With Cirstea serving at 2-4, 30-30, she objected to Osaka's shout of "c'mon" between her first and second serves, claiming it disrupted her concentration. The chair umpire dismissed the complaint, and play continued. Osaka responded with louder celebrations, winning the next points to break and close out the match. She struck 38 winners, including three aces, and saved five of eight break points.
At the net, the handshake was brief and cold. As they walked to the umpire's chair, Cirstea confronted Osaka, reportedly saying, "You don’t know what fair play is. You’ve been playing tennis for so long, and you don’t know what fair play is." Osaka, appearing confused, asked, "What was that for?"
In her on-court interview, Osaka addressed the incident lightly: "Apparently a lot of 'c'mons' that she was angry about but whatever. She's a great player - I think this was her last Australian Open so, OK, sorry she was mad about it." Later, in the press conference, she offered a fuller apology: "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."
Osaka explained her self-motivation: "When I'm pumping myself up, in my head I'm not like, 'OK, now I'm going to distract the other person'. It's purely for me. No one's ever complained about it before. Also the umpire didn't tell me I was wrong."
Cirstea, 35, who announced her retirement at the end of the 2026 season after 20 years on the WTA Tour, downplayed the exchange. "I will not talk about that. 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. It was just a five-second exchange between two players that have been on a tour for a long time. It stays between us."
Osaka, ranked outside the top 100 upon her return to the tour, now faces Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis in the third round. Inglis advanced after defeating Laura Siegemund 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-6(7).
