Naomi Osaka Discusses Brief Handshake With Sorana Cirstea in Video After Australian Open Win
Naomi Osaka’s second-round victory over Sorana Cirstea at the Australian Open on Thursday was anything but easy, but it was their post-match handshake that turned the most heads.
As ESPN explained, “the pair barely exchanged a handshake over the net, Cirstea glancing in Osaka’s direction briefly and then turning her head away.”
Osaka asked why there was so much tension and then explained the interaction during an on-court television interview after her win.
“Apparently a lot of ‘c’mons’ that she was angry about but whatever,” Osaka said. “I mean, I tried to play well, I tried my best. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so, OK, sorry she was mad about it.
“She could have asked me [to stop].”
Osaka later apologized when speaking to reporters about the exchange with Cirstea:
“I guess that emotions were very high for her. I also want to apologize,” Osaka said. “I think the first couple things that I said on the court was disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.”
Cirstea, 35, was playing in her final Australian Open before retirement.
“There was no drama,” she told reporters. “It was just a five-second exchange between two players that have been on a tour for a long time. It stays between us.
“For me this was my last match at the Australian Open, so I think I’ll like to stay with that.”
Osaka is seeded 16th as one of the headline names in the event, but Cirstea was up for the challenge for much of the match. After Osaka cruised to a 6-3 win in the opening set, the challenger responded with a 6-4 win in the second set.
Eventually, the victor prevailed with a 6-2 performance in the decisive set, but it was her second straight match she needed the full three sets to advance.
Osaka also defeated Antonia Ruzic in the first round, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Next up is a third-round matchup with Maddison Inglis, who will be playing in front of her home fans in Australia. If Osaka can find a way to win that one, it could set up a highly anticipated fourth-round showdown with Iga Świątek.
