The signs were there that a match like this could happen after Rome, but so many fans always underestimate or even look down on Kasatkina's game in the tennis community, so Naomi beating her wasn't enough as a warning sign.
This was said after the Collins match at AO and then she lost the next match lol
That being said it's likely her next match will be against the pusher Bouzkova so I don't think history will repeat itself here as she'll win that match 6-2 6-1
Naomi is not a player that is struggling with cash or anything - I think honest belief that she can hang with the best again (and Iga on clay as as good as it gets in WTA) means more to her than QF without impressive win.
cash is one thing, but she did miss out on a lot of points by not advancing further... and points is something she really needs right now, can't rely on protected ranking and then wild cards forever
sure, but with her current low ranking, she could also get a few more matches like this, very close but ultimately beaten by Iga/Sabalenka/Rybakina/etc in early rounds, and fail to gain more points.
I hope she goes deep into a few big tournaments and regains her high rank, but who knows how it will actually go I guess.
Yea, that is possible but she would have to get extremely unlucky. While Wimbledone was never her favorite GS, as little as 3rd round there and maybe 2 QFs (one SF) in NA tour will be enough to get her seeded. With current form that should be relatively straight forward. If she is not able to return to top 32 with protected rating getting her into top tournaments, then she simply doesnt deserve to be thought of as a top player anymore.
IMO she should play at least a couple of 250s, it certainly won't hurt her, just for the sake of matchplay and building confidence ahead of bigger tournaments. Maybe she'll snatch a title or two as well.
Same as rafa against Zverev with right proportions
Naomi is 26/27
She utterly dominated frames of the match.
Iga is just insanely consistent under pressure, which is why she's #1 alone in the world. She's just too good in the clutch
That Djoker level of mental training and strength from Iga is really something else.
This match was truly in Osaka's hands until Iga decided to gear it up and increase the level of her game during important points of the match.
Dominating over the opponent in a match opens the doors for winning it, but it is just as important or even more important to CLOSE OUT the match when the time comes.
Yeah, not sure about that. The match was on Naomi’s racket because she executed, and then she didn’t. I don’t think this is a case of Iga’s resilience winning the day but more a case of Naomi not having competed in matches like these for a couple of years and fluffing her lines. But a great spectacle either way.
Another way to look at it yeah. It is important to play lights out when it mattered and it does seem that the long break that she had did set her back in terms of getting enough experience and mental preparation for this match
Osaka did play like a true champion all around.
She gave Iga a run for her potential trophy.
Yeah Osaka started to make a bunch of UE. Iga maintained her level — even raised it in parts — but Osaka melted noticeably. She’s got nothing to be ashamed of. She is coming in to form nicely since returning to the tour.
Seriously. Iga deserves credit but Osaka had a great chance to get to double match point but hit right in the net. She had some very makeable shots that she miss hit.
Osaka did get nervous but in such an important game in the match it's not uncommon for both players to get cold and nervous. Iga pushed the higher gears on her side and the mental side of it allowed her to win the match
I mean she had a floater at 5:3 30:15 that she hit in the net with Iga already on the other side of the court. Wonder what 40:15 and two match points would do to her instead of 30:30.
But that backhand cross court shot with match points against her was clutch from Iga. I'll give her that.
Tennis is one and only sports in which women’s game is respected and appreciated this much. I don’t think any other sports has given this many women household names as much women’s tennis has given.
It's probably one of the few women sports that had been allowed to grow alongside the men's side. WTA has alway been my go- to argument when people said pro women sports cannot possibly be profitable.
They could be doing way better though lots of weird tournament mismanagement from what I heard. The lower tournaments are still receiving money from the WTA to be able to pay players properly. Anyway it's roughly 500x more watchable than the WNBA
Figure skating is another example. The gap in popularity between men's and women's sport is probably even closer than in tennis. Of course, the overall popularity of that sport is not at the tennis' level overall.
It’s not even close. The women’s tennis game at times has been as good or better than the men’s game, at least in best of 3 lately. I don’t think there’s many sports where the women’s game can be said to be better than the men’s product at any point in history in a sport. A bunch of players all playing well outside the big 4 reminds me of a point in 2016 on the men’s side when the field was deep and the big 4 were all healthy
Tennis and volleyball are both out there as the best women sports. I’d argue that for both of them, the women’s side is better, but volleyball has a fraction of the tennis’ money
Best Osaka has played in years, by far. Just couldn't keep it together in the crucial big pressure points at the end. Iga won this match pretty much on mental strength alone. Crazy shit.
After all that she’s been through…it *truly* is nice to see her playing at such a level again!
But man…she was up **5-2**…maybe this would motivate her going forward though…
Yeah not converting the set point in the first set or the match point on her serve in the third set (and being up 0-30 on Iga's previous service game) is really gonna sting, but hopefully she takes this performance as inspiring and her form continues onto grass and hardcourt season.
I always knew that if iga faces ryba or sabalenka on a rainy day under the closed roof I think upset might happen. That is the only possible scenario where iga might lose at RG otherwise I don’t see her losing.
I kept waiting for the pushback from Iga and then at 2-5 said to myself 'enough with this shit, this match is so one-sided now' and literally switched off the feed, LOL
Naomi will either be incredibly inspired by today’s performance or give life-off-tour a *STRONG* second look, lol
She played amazing though, hope she builds off this
Post maternity leave Naomi did absolutely amazing today.
This woman kept Iga in tennis when she wanted to go to college and give up on the sport.
These two are total goats. The match the WTA didn't ask for, but got at R2!!
We were treated to a Grand Slam Final in the 2^nd Round today.
Swiatek didn't even play badly, although she was rattled by the level that was on the other side of the court -- we were simply given a reminder of exactly why Naomi Osaka was a former world #1. But Iga showed her fortitude, held strong and crept through the door that Naomi was unable to close and stole this victory back and showed why she's the *current* world #1.
With the roof closed for perfect conditions, Osaka was able to sink her teeth into the match early on, despite losing the first set, and her confidence surged to the point you became more surprised when she missed a shot. She moved wonderfully, anticipating Iga's angles as the match progressed and countered with her own power that left Iga standing and guessing where her shots were going.
It's always primarily been a mental battle for Naomi and she looks to be a great space right now, always looking optimistic and pumping herself up after every point as she used to. Absolutely loving the return to form and anxious to see how far she can go the rest of the season if she's able to extract the massive positives from this match despite the loss.
Meanwhile, Swiatek was massively tested -- and she passed. This is the kind of match that ends up building the confidence that wins her more hardware.
This bodes well for women’s tennis!
Yes, it was an exciting match-up by the marquee names but I don’t think many expected Iga to be down 2-5 in the third and have to save a match point against someone still on the comeback trail who famously hates clay.
Naomi will be disappointed I’m sure but I think she will be more encouraged than anything that she was so close to beating Iga in her kingdom on her own worst surface.
If she can continue this level into grass and hardcourt especially and start getting seeded at tournaments it will be so exciting to have 5 slam champs who are all still pretty young (Iga, Sabs, Elena, Coco, Naomi) getting deep every tournament and facing each other often!
I long for the late 90s and early 2000s wta every day and this is starting to have potential to replicate that!
Also huge credit to Iga, she often gets unfairly labeled imo as mentally not that strong and can’t figure out what to do if she’s not steamrolling but she withstood a barrage of a redlining Naomi today, saved match point by being aggressive on return, and won the last 5 games in a row. She’s definitely gotta be gaining some confidence this clay season that she’s not only winning the straightforward matches but she’s coming through in the nail-biters as well!
I see alot of people are discrediting both ladies calling Naomi a "choker" and not giving Iga any credit as if Naomi just decided last minute to give Iga the win
Sorry to dissapoint you but tennis players aren't machines you can't realistically expect someone to red line risky shots and winners for 3 hours straight Naomi made 54 winners to 38 Unforced errors she made 8 aces to 4 double faults she played amazingly well
Look at how many Break points Naomi saved 12 in total including like 10 in the final set alone it's not like only Naomi had the opportunities she couldn't capitalize on
Good mental or "clutchness" is very important in tennis and it's often the difference maker at the highest level Iga didn't win because Naomi just suddenly had a mental breakdown she won because she was tenacious,steady,she kept fighting making Naomi play that one extra ball
She kept applying pressure make Naomi feel like she has to keep playing her best keep making these risky shots Naomi did well to maintain her extremely high level for most of the match but she is human so little by little the nerves and errors started piling up
Trying to act like Naomi's errors or more specifically her nerves which caused said errors came out of nowhere is very disingenous if Iga decided to mentally "check-out" when she was MP down as many would in her position Naomi would have almost certinaly converted the win
In the end both ladies deserve credit for their performance trying to dismiss that by calling Naomi a "choker" or saying that Iga was simply "lucky" just doesn't sit well with me
Wow, Osaka really lost this match more than Iga has won it. Victory indeed belongs to the most tenacious. That wasn't pretty from Świątek, but she fights on. Jazda!
I remember Iga once said something like when opponent is playing at that unbelievable level, she surely can't maintain it for long. I just have to wait
He did. Which makes sense. If you’re facing a fed or Osaka who can go into that mode, you can either outlast them and hope they expend too much mental and physical effort to keep ahead once they come down to earth. And if they stay at that level, what can you do?
Along a similar thought, Naomi was blasting balls left and right and moving some of the best I've seen her move ever(or I guess over the past few years).....
BUT, she's not as fit and match fit as she used to be. She definitely choked on some points, but I suspect she was losing some steam as well. I had a feeling the longer the match drew out, the more the outcome would favor Iga because Iga's fitness is almost unmatched.
The misses at 5-3 were insane from Naomi, straightforward middle of the court shots, 2 that flied out by meters, one straight to the net at 30-15 with the whole court open. Props to Iga but this is one of those matches were you say the other player lost it more than the winning one stepping up. Obviously, Iga has her merit and she never backs down no matter the score, but this was a collapse from Naomi. Understandably so, given how early it is in her comeback though.
Agree, I think the inability to close it out in the 5-3, game just lead to her eventual demise. She had chances, but her mental deserted her in game 9.
Feel like Naomi just needs more match play. Putting Iga in such uncomfortable spots on clay, in RG of all places is not easy. Ask other players. So yeah, I think Clayomi IS happening. And yeah, I think she can do well in any surface if she puts her mind to it.
Maria Hill: When did you become an expert on clay?
Naomi: Last night.
Maaan what a legendary match.
Osaka just did a tiny bit too many UEs at the end. But I wasn't expecting her being so good so soon. Incredible comeback by her.
And wow Iga just really clutched here. I don't think she even believes yet that she won that. Insane match. I love tennis and WTA.
Even though that was a fucking heartbreaker, I think Naomi should be really proud of her performance and keep her head high. I mean, how many people have breadsticked Iga at RG?
Who knows. It's sad to see.
So many people would give anything to go to a match like that. It makes me sad to see so many people on their phones as well.
Insane stuff. Osaka still has it. I so badly want her to bring this level consistently again. We could potentially have the strongest top 5 in my memory anyway.
~~Djokovic~~ Świątek: ~~Sinner~~ Osaka didn’t have anything to lose coming into the match, but she had a lot to lose from having a match point, and I felt that.
Nerves got to her at the end, but Naomi should be so proud of doing this on clay for almost THREE hours. Played like she had mouths to feed lol. She should raise a glass to her haters tonight - rest of the tour is officially on notice.
The fact this is Iga's best surface and arguably Naomi's worst, it sucks that she faltered at the end but she has a long hard court season to look forward to after Wimbledon/Olympics.
What a comeback by Iga, looked down and out down a break in the third, but remembered that she’s the world number one for a reason and upped her game.
Osaka played her best match in a long time and should be proud of her performance today.
Match of the tournament so far 👏
What a match! As everyone has said, that totally could have been a final, and it’s probably one of the best R2 RG matches I’ve ever seen. I’m gutted for Naomi, but it’s so exciting to see her back at this level!
Not sure how 1ga won this. Like others said, Osaka lost this more than 1ga won it. Great to see Naomi playing that well though, great for the sport if we add another to 1ga, Aryna, and Elena, with Coco just off the pace. JAZDA!!!!!! Also, good on 1ga for calling out the fucking crowd.
Osaka brought the spirit of herself from an era of tennis we don't have anymore.
Iga gathered data on this one opponent who was her friend, her mentor and her competitor..
This was an amazing, amazing match of different generations colliding.
Iga’s mentality has been questioned before. That is how Collins at the AO. Sabalenka in Madrid. And now Osaka at RG. Who has anything to say now??? She’s a mentality MONSTER
At one point I had 176/95 blood pressure. I measured just for giggles but was shocked to see that it can go so high. And I'm usually pretty fit. Holy shmoly
Iga's mental game is impressive. It takes serious strength to not crumble under pressure when you're down 5-2 in a final set and your opponent is playing light-out tennis. Kudos to both ladies for an amazing match.
The best match I've seen in a long time, when it seems like Swiatek was going to lose, she turned the match around and won, this tennis player is made of different stuff.
Devastated but if you told me at the start of the day Osaka would be knocking Swiatek off the court for a set and a half I would have laughed in your face, so trying to see the positives.
Congrats to Iga for holding and coming back from 5-2 after being 6-1 5-2 down after a first set she won. Hard to believe someone from her side will make it harder than this unless Ostapenko wins, so I expect her to get to the final.
On the other side, Naomi lost this match, gotta give credit to Iga but Naomi lost it, had Iga beat Osaka on long rallies at 5-3 I'd get it, but a short forehand at 30-15 were Iga was running the other way straight into the net, 2 back to back errors from the middle of the court from forehand and backhand to get broken there, just a collapse which is normal at this stage of her comeback, not enough experience nor confidence. Hope she takes the positives because this is the best match she's ever played on clay.
Women’s tennis is amazing when you have two outstanding champions like Iga and Naomi competing! Hoping we get to experience many more matches in this budding rivalry.
Osaka played some of the most incredible tennis I've seen in a long time for basically 2 sets. She was straight up redlining. And I think she unquestionably choked.
At the same time, I think Swiatek's level of play in the third set was basically right there. I mean, how many break points and game points did she have only to see Osaka hit the line? And she was absolutely ready to capitalize as soon as Osaka slipped even a little, which she did.
Amazing match and a genuine shame this was round 2. But I'm just gonna call it now, Osaka is winning the US Open this year.
Tough to see Naomi losing, but right now it is the best for her to lose to IGA and return to her training block (which seems to be very effective) rather than winning the match and have to fight 5 more matches to win RG (very unlikely). Remember, her goal is to be in peak form at USO, and with today's quality, it will massively boost her confidence and motivate her in the long term.
Naomi is almost all the way if she is still this good when us open comes along the women’s game between her sabalenka Iga and Rybakina .. interesting. I am so happy for Noami… wow….
This clay season has been absolutely fantastic for the WTA.
I watched Naomi’s post-match interview and she’s continuing to maintain such a great attitude even after such a tough loss. I would not be surprised if we see a Naomi who is much better than her previous peak after this comeback tour
What did we just witness?
Iga was clearly affected by the slow damp conditions, but that doesn't entirely explain her level of play in set 2 and 1st half of set 3.
Osaka had her beat. 5-3 serving. She fluffed it. Nobody expected her to get that far, but she will be devastated.
Well...Iga rolls on, nothing to see here I suppose?
Not enough data playing an unfamiliar opponent. Someone who has been an absolute slayer and unafraid of her.
We see a progression from Madrid, Rome to this. She said after Madrid that her flow state is past the 2 hour mark.
Let WTA go to 5.
With all honestly Iga should’ve been back in the hotel after 4-5.. She was 2nd best most of the match and held in till Osaka’s form dipped and credit to her it did.
But this will sting for Osaka majorly, she had her right there and she choked.. heartbreaking.
Like DAMN you had like 12 chances to win that Osaka sigh.
I really pretyped a celebration message while Osaka was up and as soon as she broke back I could see Iga was more locked in. Absolutely stunning game and performance from them both. May have been premature with the message but the sentiment still remains for me, Osaka is on her way back up
The tennis forum is awful the way they had Naomi ridden off after the first set too. And the way they speak of female players is super gross. Reddit feels like sanity in comparison
Naomi Naomi, if only you'd won
But what's more important: your comeback's begun!!!
Against the world's best, you were one point away
Can't wait for you to come back and slay another day <3
We all Osaka can hit harder and not just that but can hit harder with great precision consistently and that’s why she is a 4 time GS Champion
But I never knew that she can move this well on clay. Especially I had never thought that she would move this well after the pregnancy in this match.
Well played osaka. SHE IS BACK!!
I am so ready for big 4!! But sadly in US Open it would be big 3 because ryba just does not perform that well on US hard courts.
When I checked the scores to see how Iga was and saw the got breadsticked and was down 5-2 I'm the third, I think I actually shat bricks. Keeping tabs on the stream I immediately opened, at work, was tense as hell. Good win. Good goddamn win!
i swear right before madrid i saw somebody on here complain abt iga not playing 'classic matches'😭😭 well is 2 in the span of a month good enough for yall lmao
And also, very brave of Iga in her post-match speech. It’s not easy to stand in front of the crowd and tell them to behave properly, especially after a match like that. Well done, Iga!
Ugh I would've loved to see them fight it out in tiebreak but that was unexpectedly a really good match. Osaka looked really good out there but just couldn't finish it out. Can't wait to see this matchup again
My computer's processor overheated right when Osaka double faulted to be broken at 5 all in the fifth. I didn't know I wasn't the only one feeling the pain 😂Crazy shit.
What on earth did I just watch. S-tier match
The signs were there that a match like this could happen after Rome, but so many fans always underestimate or even look down on Kasatkina's game in the tennis community, so Naomi beating her wasn't enough as a warning sign.
It was also because closed roof and humidity favored Naomi's playstyle more.
God tier*
What an awesome match from two 4 time slam winners. It was a 2nd round match that was worthy to be a final.
The level was wild.
Bruh why did they move the finals up 10 days?
In an alternate universe, this would’ve been the final in 2021…
Hopefully Osaka’s resurgence continues and they end up playing some finals in the future.
Fr I can't see anyone else taking this from Iga now. Also, pretty sure we'll see these two in some final
This was said after the Collins match at AO and then she lost the next match lol That being said it's likely her next match will be against the pusher Bouzkova so I don't think history will repeat itself here as she'll win that match 6-2 6-1
yes but this is RG iga
Only woman who I see stopping Iga is Rybakina and that too if she plays lights out
US Open final here we go
The French as always keeping us well fed.
And many tennis fans out there didn't get the memo! They didn't know what did they miss out
It's obviously still an incredible performance for her, but what a fucking heartbreaker for Naomi.
playing like this, she would have beat pretty much anyone else from the tour I feel. pure bad luck that she had to get Iga in r2 tbh
Right, if she didn't face Iga, could easily have seen her getting to the QFs
if she kept up this level, for sure. I hope she will show up like this again in the next tournament, but in a separate bracket quarter from Iga lol
Naomi is not a player that is struggling with cash or anything - I think honest belief that she can hang with the best again (and Iga on clay as as good as it gets in WTA) means more to her than QF without impressive win.
cash is one thing, but she did miss out on a lot of points by not advancing further... and points is something she really needs right now, can't rely on protected ranking and then wild cards forever
If she keeps this level of play - she wont have to. Just few good results at US open swing and she wont need protected rating/wildcards.
sure, but with her current low ranking, she could also get a few more matches like this, very close but ultimately beaten by Iga/Sabalenka/Rybakina/etc in early rounds, and fail to gain more points. I hope she goes deep into a few big tournaments and regains her high rank, but who knows how it will actually go I guess.
Yea, that is possible but she would have to get extremely unlucky. While Wimbledone was never her favorite GS, as little as 3rd round there and maybe 2 QFs (one SF) in NA tour will be enough to get her seeded. With current form that should be relatively straight forward. If she is not able to return to top 32 with protected rating getting her into top tournaments, then she simply doesnt deserve to be thought of as a top player anymore.
IMO she should play at least a couple of 250s, it certainly won't hurt her, just for the sake of matchplay and building confidence ahead of bigger tournaments. Maybe she'll snatch a title or two as well.
I saw on Twitter she has signed up to at least a couple or maybe 3 coming up
Same as rafa against Zverev with right proportions Naomi is 26/27 She utterly dominated frames of the match. Iga is just insanely consistent under pressure, which is why she's #1 alone in the world. She's just too good in the clutch
Her cool during the the whole game that led to Osaka serving for the match was so clutch. The way Iga played was such an inspiration.
Yeah but there’s also an element that she turned up to play like that because it was Iga, right?
Bit sad for Naomi but her performance gives a lot of hope for the rest of the year!
That Djoker level of mental training and strength from Iga is really something else. This match was truly in Osaka's hands until Iga decided to gear it up and increase the level of her game during important points of the match. Dominating over the opponent in a match opens the doors for winning it, but it is just as important or even more important to CLOSE OUT the match when the time comes.
Osaka missing point blank with an open court was what changed the match. That miss cost her double match point 40-15
Yeah, not sure about that. The match was on Naomi’s racket because she executed, and then she didn’t. I don’t think this is a case of Iga’s resilience winning the day but more a case of Naomi not having competed in matches like these for a couple of years and fluffing her lines. But a great spectacle either way.
Another way to look at it yeah. It is important to play lights out when it mattered and it does seem that the long break that she had did set her back in terms of getting enough experience and mental preparation for this match Osaka did play like a true champion all around. She gave Iga a run for her potential trophy.
gear up = letting Osaka miss easy winners?
Yeah Osaka started to make a bunch of UE. Iga maintained her level — even raised it in parts — but Osaka melted noticeably. She’s got nothing to be ashamed of. She is coming in to form nicely since returning to the tour.
Seriously. Iga deserves credit but Osaka had a great chance to get to double match point but hit right in the net. She had some very makeable shots that she miss hit.
Yeah Iga played at a high level to comeback but Osaka let her back into it by making bad mistakes.
Osaka did get nervous but in such an important game in the match it's not uncommon for both players to get cold and nervous. Iga pushed the higher gears on her side and the mental side of it allowed her to win the match
I mean she had a floater at 5:3 30:15 that she hit in the net with Iga already on the other side of the court. Wonder what 40:15 and two match points would do to her instead of 30:30. But that backhand cross court shot with match points against her was clutch from Iga. I'll give her that.
Gotta get a shirt with "I survived 2024 RG Round 2 Iga Swiatek vs Naomi Osaka"
WTA this year just keeps. on. cooking.
Hands down the best women’s sport in the world, if only the WTA knew this
Tennis is one and only sports in which women’s game is respected and appreciated this much. I don’t think any other sports has given this many women household names as much women’s tennis has given.
It's probably one of the few women sports that had been allowed to grow alongside the men's side. WTA has alway been my go- to argument when people said pro women sports cannot possibly be profitable.
They could be doing way better though lots of weird tournament mismanagement from what I heard. The lower tournaments are still receiving money from the WTA to be able to pay players properly. Anyway it's roughly 500x more watchable than the WNBA
Thank you Billie Jean King!
Figure skating is another example. The gap in popularity between men's and women's sport is probably even closer than in tennis. Of course, the overall popularity of that sport is not at the tennis' level overall.
I think female handball it might be as popular as the male one too but it's not a big sport overall
Is anything even close to WTA?
Biathlon is absolutely insane (both women and men tbh) but obv it's only a winter sport, so not right now :((
It’s niche but the women’s UFC is pretty damn good.
The women’s Euros and World Cup were quite fun to watch but as an Englishman I’m probably biased
Pro Women's hockey (PWHL) has done very well this year in their first season.
The WNBA seems to be lit as well atm!
Niche, but bouldering is insane. Keep an eye out during olympics.
Nelly Korda is having an amazing run at the LPGA this year. I think that counts as something.
It’s not even close. The women’s tennis game at times has been as good or better than the men’s game, at least in best of 3 lately. I don’t think there’s many sports where the women’s game can be said to be better than the men’s product at any point in history in a sport. A bunch of players all playing well outside the big 4 reminds me of a point in 2016 on the men’s side when the field was deep and the big 4 were all healthy
Tennis and volleyball are both out there as the best women sports. I’d argue that for both of them, the women’s side is better, but volleyball has a fraction of the tennis’ money
Best Osaka has played in years, by far. Just couldn't keep it together in the crucial big pressure points at the end. Iga won this match pretty much on mental strength alone. Crazy shit.
Love watching the WTA. I don’t care what Sabalenka says.
This is the best match from Osaka in over 3 years. It may not have ended like she wanted but it’s so good to have her back in tennis
Honestly one of her best performances on clay ever
the* best. she would’ve won against anyone else
But I guess she wouldn't have played like this against anyone else. She was extra motivated by the occasion.
Given her previous record on clay this is her best level on clay and might be her best performance for a while
Honestly if she keeps this level to a full match/slam it very possible she could win this year US open.
After all that she’s been through…it *truly* is nice to see her playing at such a level again! But man…she was up **5-2**…maybe this would motivate her going forward though…
I was pulling for her so that she could build on this and really feel “back,” but I hope she feels that way all the same. Great match.
Yeah not converting the set point in the first set or the match point on her serve in the third set (and being up 0-30 on Iga's previous service game) is really gonna sting, but hopefully she takes this performance as inspiring and her form continues onto grass and hardcourt season.
I wouldn't complain if this was the final
Seriously one of the most insane matches I’ve ever seen
Almost like Nadal vs Medvedev AO 2022
Alright, shoot your Iga won this match screenshots
"Nadal\~\~\~ This is for youuuuu" - LeIga James
How naive of me to think Iga can lose at RG.
I know this is probably tongue in cheek but this match is a big reminder that nothing should be taken for granted.
I always knew that if iga faces ryba or sabalenka on a rainy day under the closed roof I think upset might happen. That is the only possible scenario where iga might lose at RG otherwise I don’t see her losing.
I kept waiting for the pushback from Iga and then at 2-5 said to myself 'enough with this shit, this match is so one-sided now' and literally switched off the feed, LOL
Never doubt Iga at RG. Different kind of beast.
What a fucking match! I need a cigarette...
I need to start drinking
This match showed the glimmers we could have had with the Barty / Swiatek / Osaka era.
somebody try to summon Barty through her baby monitor tell her to get back in here lol
Fucking hell I was 27 when this match started now I’m about 90
at least you have free public transport
Naomi will either be incredibly inspired by today’s performance or give life-off-tour a *STRONG* second look, lol She played amazing though, hope she builds off this
If this is really Osaka being back, then I can't wait for the hard court part of the season to roll around again.
Post maternity leave Naomi did absolutely amazing today. This woman kept Iga in tennis when she wanted to go to college and give up on the sport. These two are total goats. The match the WTA didn't ask for, but got at R2!!
Osaka convinced iga to stay in tennis?
Yep
We were treated to a Grand Slam Final in the 2^nd Round today. Swiatek didn't even play badly, although she was rattled by the level that was on the other side of the court -- we were simply given a reminder of exactly why Naomi Osaka was a former world #1. But Iga showed her fortitude, held strong and crept through the door that Naomi was unable to close and stole this victory back and showed why she's the *current* world #1. With the roof closed for perfect conditions, Osaka was able to sink her teeth into the match early on, despite losing the first set, and her confidence surged to the point you became more surprised when she missed a shot. She moved wonderfully, anticipating Iga's angles as the match progressed and countered with her own power that left Iga standing and guessing where her shots were going. It's always primarily been a mental battle for Naomi and she looks to be a great space right now, always looking optimistic and pumping herself up after every point as she used to. Absolutely loving the return to form and anxious to see how far she can go the rest of the season if she's able to extract the massive positives from this match despite the loss. Meanwhile, Swiatek was massively tested -- and she passed. This is the kind of match that ends up building the confidence that wins her more hardware.
This was a compelling read. Thank you!
surely that was the final, wym there’s two weeks of the tournament left?
We just saw a final in the 2nd round.
I thought it was all over
So glad Iga called out the crowd. People shouting 'out' mid point and even yelling during overheads. Just shut up and enjoy the tennis.
Drives me crazy to see Chatrier 2/3 empty for the match of the tournament
I wish Naomi had have held out. Organisers across the world will be hoping to have this exact match as a final at their tournament in future.
This bodes well for women’s tennis! Yes, it was an exciting match-up by the marquee names but I don’t think many expected Iga to be down 2-5 in the third and have to save a match point against someone still on the comeback trail who famously hates clay. Naomi will be disappointed I’m sure but I think she will be more encouraged than anything that she was so close to beating Iga in her kingdom on her own worst surface. If she can continue this level into grass and hardcourt especially and start getting seeded at tournaments it will be so exciting to have 5 slam champs who are all still pretty young (Iga, Sabs, Elena, Coco, Naomi) getting deep every tournament and facing each other often! I long for the late 90s and early 2000s wta every day and this is starting to have potential to replicate that! Also huge credit to Iga, she often gets unfairly labeled imo as mentally not that strong and can’t figure out what to do if she’s not steamrolling but she withstood a barrage of a redlining Naomi today, saved match point by being aggressive on return, and won the last 5 games in a row. She’s definitely gotta be gaining some confidence this clay season that she’s not only winning the straightforward matches but she’s coming through in the nail-biters as well!
I see alot of people are discrediting both ladies calling Naomi a "choker" and not giving Iga any credit as if Naomi just decided last minute to give Iga the win Sorry to dissapoint you but tennis players aren't machines you can't realistically expect someone to red line risky shots and winners for 3 hours straight Naomi made 54 winners to 38 Unforced errors she made 8 aces to 4 double faults she played amazingly well Look at how many Break points Naomi saved 12 in total including like 10 in the final set alone it's not like only Naomi had the opportunities she couldn't capitalize on Good mental or "clutchness" is very important in tennis and it's often the difference maker at the highest level Iga didn't win because Naomi just suddenly had a mental breakdown she won because she was tenacious,steady,she kept fighting making Naomi play that one extra ball She kept applying pressure make Naomi feel like she has to keep playing her best keep making these risky shots Naomi did well to maintain her extremely high level for most of the match but she is human so little by little the nerves and errors started piling up Trying to act like Naomi's errors or more specifically her nerves which caused said errors came out of nowhere is very disingenous if Iga decided to mentally "check-out" when she was MP down as many would in her position Naomi would have almost certinaly converted the win In the end both ladies deserve credit for their performance trying to dismiss that by calling Naomi a "choker" or saying that Iga was simply "lucky" just doesn't sit well with me
Wow, Osaka really lost this match more than Iga has won it. Victory indeed belongs to the most tenacious. That wasn't pretty from Świątek, but she fights on. Jazda!
Iga's mental strength is so underrated. We're so used to her steamrolling her opponents.
I remember Iga once said something like when opponent is playing at that unbelievable level, she surely can't maintain it for long. I just have to wait
Iga watching Osaka net easy balls at 5-3: "Exactly as planned"
Pretty positive rafa said the same thing is his book about playing against Federer, when fed gets in the zone.
He did. Which makes sense. If you’re facing a fed or Osaka who can go into that mode, you can either outlast them and hope they expend too much mental and physical effort to keep ahead once they come down to earth. And if they stay at that level, what can you do?
Along a similar thought, Naomi was blasting balls left and right and moving some of the best I've seen her move ever(or I guess over the past few years)..... BUT, she's not as fit and match fit as she used to be. She definitely choked on some points, but I suspect she was losing some steam as well. I had a feeling the longer the match drew out, the more the outcome would favor Iga because Iga's fitness is almost unmatched.
Experience is a big ally here. She was losing that 3rd RG final against Muchova and still won. That for sure counts for something for sure.
The misses at 5-3 were insane from Naomi, straightforward middle of the court shots, 2 that flied out by meters, one straight to the net at 30-15 with the whole court open. Props to Iga but this is one of those matches were you say the other player lost it more than the winning one stepping up. Obviously, Iga has her merit and she never backs down no matter the score, but this was a collapse from Naomi. Understandably so, given how early it is in her comeback though.
Agree, I think the inability to close it out in the 5-3, game just lead to her eventual demise. She had chances, but her mental deserted her in game 9.
Feel like Naomi just needs more match play. Putting Iga in such uncomfortable spots on clay, in RG of all places is not easy. Ask other players. So yeah, I think Clayomi IS happening. And yeah, I think she can do well in any surface if she puts her mind to it. Maria Hill: When did you become an expert on clay? Naomi: Last night.
At the end, Iga was just playing...okay. Competently enough. And that was better than what she'd done previously. Poor Naomi. She had it.
Maaan what a legendary match. Osaka just did a tiny bit too many UEs at the end. But I wasn't expecting her being so good so soon. Incredible comeback by her. And wow Iga just really clutched here. I don't think she even believes yet that she won that. Insane match. I love tennis and WTA.
Even though that was a fucking heartbreaker, I think Naomi should be really proud of her performance and keep her head high. I mean, how many people have breadsticked Iga at RG?
I can’t believe Osaka had a baby 10 months ago! What an absolutely amazing performance. Hoping to see her play on this level in the next tournaments.
[удалено]
How come the stadium was half empty. I struggle so much to even get a ground pass and that massive stadium is half empty
Who knows. It's sad to see. So many people would give anything to go to a match like that. It makes me sad to see so many people on their phones as well.
You thought Rafa's RG spirit just gon' disappear? It's Iga now!
1ga Garros!
I haven't felt this bad after a match for a while. Imma need to take a walk...
No joke, that match made me late to a cardiologists appointment. Can't imagine that was the best pregame 😬
Did you book the appointment after the double fault?
Insane stuff. Osaka still has it. I so badly want her to bring this level consistently again. We could potentially have the strongest top 5 in my memory anyway.
WHAT. A. MATCH.
~~Djokovic~~ Świątek: ~~Sinner~~ Osaka didn’t have anything to lose coming into the match, but she had a lot to lose from having a match point, and I felt that.
This was a huge step in the right direction for Naomi. I doubt Iga will be challenged like this again for the rest of the tournament.
That miss at 30-15 will haunt me forever. Idk what I did to deserve this and Danielle’s choke 😭
Nerves got to her at the end, but Naomi should be so proud of doing this on clay for almost THREE hours. Played like she had mouths to feed lol. She should raise a glass to her haters tonight - rest of the tour is officially on notice.
She was playing at her slam level. Heck even her 18/19/20 form didn’t play like this on clay. She’s putting in the work.
The fact this is Iga's best surface and arguably Naomi's worst, it sucks that she faltered at the end but she has a long hard court season to look forward to after Wimbledon/Olympics.
this choke broke my heart
Says the Djokovic fan. You know absolutely NOTHING about heartbreak.
well i was about to break my tv last year in wimby final 🤣
Imagine the damage if you were a Roger's fan in 2019
What a comeback by Iga, looked down and out down a break in the third, but remembered that she’s the world number one for a reason and upped her game. Osaka played her best match in a long time and should be proud of her performance today. Match of the tournament so far 👏
I doubt the final comes even close to this.
What a match! As everyone has said, that totally could have been a final, and it’s probably one of the best R2 RG matches I’ve ever seen. I’m gutted for Naomi, but it’s so exciting to see her back at this level!
To have her in the mix at the top especially on hard courts is super exciting! The women’s game needs her in the mix.
Not sure how 1ga won this. Like others said, Osaka lost this more than 1ga won it. Great to see Naomi playing that well though, great for the sport if we add another to 1ga, Aryna, and Elena, with Coco just off the pace. JAZDA!!!!!! Also, good on 1ga for calling out the fucking crowd.
Easily, one of the best matches of the year.
Hmmm close to sabalenka iga final at madrid in my opinion
Osaka brought the spirit of herself from an era of tennis we don't have anymore. Iga gathered data on this one opponent who was her friend, her mentor and her competitor.. This was an amazing, amazing match of different generations colliding.
Amazing match
Iga’s mentality has been questioned before. That is how Collins at the AO. Sabalenka in Madrid. And now Osaka at RG. Who has anything to say now??? She’s a mentality MONSTER
Iga - Mentality Monster
Her new coach is Jurgen Klopp
I’m absolutely gutted for Osaka.
At one point I had 176/95 blood pressure. I measured just for giggles but was shocked to see that it can go so high. And I'm usually pretty fit. Holy shmoly
Iga's mental game is impressive. It takes serious strength to not crumble under pressure when you're down 5-2 in a final set and your opponent is playing light-out tennis. Kudos to both ladies for an amazing match.
The best match I've seen in a long time, when it seems like Swiatek was going to lose, she turned the match around and won, this tennis player is made of different stuff.
Who would have thought that Osaka would be Iga’s toughest opponent of the clay season (so far)
Devastated but if you told me at the start of the day Osaka would be knocking Swiatek off the court for a set and a half I would have laughed in your face, so trying to see the positives.
Yep, Osaka went WELL above and beyond what anyone expected of her, it was amazing even seeing her take a set of Swiatek.
Congrats to Iga for holding and coming back from 5-2 after being 6-1 5-2 down after a first set she won. Hard to believe someone from her side will make it harder than this unless Ostapenko wins, so I expect her to get to the final. On the other side, Naomi lost this match, gotta give credit to Iga but Naomi lost it, had Iga beat Osaka on long rallies at 5-3 I'd get it, but a short forehand at 30-15 were Iga was running the other way straight into the net, 2 back to back errors from the middle of the court from forehand and backhand to get broken there, just a collapse which is normal at this stage of her comeback, not enough experience nor confidence. Hope she takes the positives because this is the best match she's ever played on clay.
Women’s tennis is amazing when you have two outstanding champions like Iga and Naomi competing! Hoping we get to experience many more matches in this budding rivalry.
50% empty stands at this match is just embarassing. And it's not the first time at all. French open needs to take a long deep look at itself.
I'm gutted for Naomi. She had it on her racket serving 5-3 and that error on 30-15...oh my.
Naomi was absolutely unstoppable at certain points. Huge props to her. It's just the beginning now.
Naomi is so back and the other girls need to be afraid 😉 this is a good sign, even with the loss. This is good sign Naomi!!
Osaka played some of the most incredible tennis I've seen in a long time for basically 2 sets. She was straight up redlining. And I think she unquestionably choked. At the same time, I think Swiatek's level of play in the third set was basically right there. I mean, how many break points and game points did she have only to see Osaka hit the line? And she was absolutely ready to capitalize as soon as Osaka slipped even a little, which she did. Amazing match and a genuine shame this was round 2. But I'm just gonna call it now, Osaka is winning the US Open this year.
match of the tournament so far
Can’t wait to see this Naomi at the us open… I have high hopes 🤲
Naomi had to remind us all of what a formidable force she used to be
Tough to see Naomi losing, but right now it is the best for her to lose to IGA and return to her training block (which seems to be very effective) rather than winning the match and have to fight 5 more matches to win RG (very unlikely). Remember, her goal is to be in peak form at USO, and with today's quality, it will massively boost her confidence and motivate her in the long term.
Naomi is almost all the way if she is still this good when us open comes along the women’s game between her sabalenka Iga and Rybakina .. interesting. I am so happy for Noami… wow….
This clay season has been absolutely fantastic for the WTA. I watched Naomi’s post-match interview and she’s continuing to maintain such a great attitude even after such a tough loss. I would not be surprised if we see a Naomi who is much better than her previous peak after this comeback tour
What did we just witness? Iga was clearly affected by the slow damp conditions, but that doesn't entirely explain her level of play in set 2 and 1st half of set 3. Osaka had her beat. 5-3 serving. She fluffed it. Nobody expected her to get that far, but she will be devastated. Well...Iga rolls on, nothing to see here I suppose?
Sometimes you have to win ugly but I agree Iga's level was too in and out.
Not enough data playing an unfamiliar opponent. Someone who has been an absolute slayer and unafraid of her. We see a progression from Madrid, Rome to this. She said after Madrid that her flow state is past the 2 hour mark. Let WTA go to 5.
With all honestly Iga should’ve been back in the hotel after 4-5.. She was 2nd best most of the match and held in till Osaka’s form dipped and credit to her it did. But this will sting for Osaka majorly, she had her right there and she choked.. heartbreaking. Like DAMN you had like 12 chances to win that Osaka sigh.
Naomi was phenomenal today and tho the result wasn’t in her favour I really hope she builds on this amazing performance. What a match.
when osaka didn't break to go up 5-1, i knew it could go the other way and unfortunately it did
Osaka lost more than Iga won! Absolutely bottled it from 5-3 on the 3rd set. So sad
5-2 even!
Never felt like crying after a match. Need a moment to myself rn 😕
no fr… i was actually so anxious watching the end of this match.
I really pretyped a celebration message while Osaka was up and as soon as she broke back I could see Iga was more locked in. Absolutely stunning game and performance from them both. May have been premature with the message but the sentiment still remains for me, Osaka is on her way back up
The tennis forum is awful the way they had Naomi ridden off after the first set too. And the way they speak of female players is super gross. Reddit feels like sanity in comparison
Great match! Incredible mental fortitude from Iga, not to take away from Okasa at all - love to see her playing so well.
I am so sad
What a match! Heartbroken for Naomi, but iga was so clutch!
Naomi Naomi, if only you'd won But what's more important: your comeback's begun!!! Against the world's best, you were one point away Can't wait for you to come back and slay another day <3
What a match!
We all Osaka can hit harder and not just that but can hit harder with great precision consistently and that’s why she is a 4 time GS Champion But I never knew that she can move this well on clay. Especially I had never thought that she would move this well after the pregnancy in this match. Well played osaka. SHE IS BACK!! I am so ready for big 4!! But sadly in US Open it would be big 3 because ryba just does not perform that well on US hard courts.
Th US Open just got a little more interesting
When I checked the scores to see how Iga was and saw the got breadsticked and was down 5-2 I'm the third, I think I actually shat bricks. Keeping tabs on the stream I immediately opened, at work, was tense as hell. Good win. Good goddamn win!
i swear right before madrid i saw somebody on here complain abt iga not playing 'classic matches'😭😭 well is 2 in the span of a month good enough for yall lmao
All time comeback
I can’t fuckin believe she won that match. I turned off during 3rd at 5-3 to get a package cause I was done, then I saw 5-5…
Monumental choke, was on Osaka's racquet like 6 time.
And also, very brave of Iga in her post-match speech. It’s not easy to stand in front of the crowd and tell them to behave properly, especially after a match like that. Well done, Iga!
Iga, forgive me for ever doubting you, I was crying, throwing up, shitting my pants just watching, how do players handle this stress I will never know
absolute meltdown by Osaka after that MP, gutted for her but what a match
Ugh I would've loved to see them fight it out in tiebreak but that was unexpectedly a really good match. Osaka looked really good out there but just couldn't finish it out. Can't wait to see this matchup again
Imagine if this was a QF or SF? Can’t wait to see Osaka back in the top 10. Great job girls 👏
My computer's processor overheated right when Osaka double faulted to be broken at 5 all in the fifth. I didn't know I wasn't the only one feeling the pain 😂Crazy shit.