Ngl, Naomi Osaka’s Instagram posts foretold her match with Iga Swiatek

Social media was ablaze during this second-rounder—even from the past.

PARIS—Naomi Osaka did everything but win in her second-round thriller with Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1, two-time defending Roland Garros champion, and three-time titlist on the terre battue. Osaka reached set point in the first set, shook off the disappointment of losing that set with a 6-1 response, and earned match point in the decider—one she led 5-2, 0-30.

You know what happened next. Yes, the moment may have gotten to this four-time Grand Slam champion, and you could even call her loss a bit of a choke. But it’s more about what the other four-time Grand Slam champion did—see Swiatek’s clutch return on that match point—than what Osaka didn’t.

 

 

Ngl, Naomi Osaka's Instagram posts foretold her match with Iga Swiatek | Tennis.com

It was a rollercoaster ride, one Osaka inadvertently teased in her recent Instagram posts:

Ngl guys I think I’m on to something. It’s all about to click, I feel it in the air. April 26

Not many fans, perhaps even Osaka fans, expected the performance she delivered against the already historic clay-courter. But Naomi apparently saw it coming back in April.

A little rain never stopped anyone 😊 May 3

Well, having a roof over Court Philippe Chatrier helped. As Osaka and Swiatek were raining down winners, it was simply raining outside. Cats and dogs, at one point. By the end, you could hear the precipitation pelting the roof.

🇫🇷🐉🌸 what a rollercoaster today was. May 26

Osaka wrote this three days ago, after a first-rounder in which she once led Lucia Bronzetti 4-0 in the third. She then lost the next five games. Naomi recovered in time, but on Tuesday her opponent made another five-game run in the decider. Unfortunately for Osaka, that run started with Swiatek having already put two games on the scoreboard.

Keep pushing forward. Tomorrow’s a new day with a new opportunity 🙏🏾 May 11

In press, Osaka expressed disappointment in defeat, but she was also encouraged by her performance. “After I lost in Madrid I remember asking my team if they thought I could ever be a Top 5 player again,” she said. “And granted, I didn’t make it to the quarters or the semis here, I feel like I’m kind of on my way back there. For me, that’s the biggest positive.”

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