Naomi Osaka’s 2025 French Open campaign came to an abrupt end on Monday as she fell to Spain’s Paula Badosa in a tense three-set first-round clash.
The match, played on the storied clay of Roland Garros, saw Osaka seize the early advantage before Badosa mounted a determined comeback to win 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-4.
The four-time Grand Slam champion entered the tournament ranked 49th and as an underdog against the 10th-seeded Badosa. She had a confident start to the match, pushing Badosa to a tiebreak in the opening set.
Sporting a vibrant pink outfit and cherry blossom-themed hair accessories, Osaka edged out the first set 7-6, even managing a minor nail injury on the sidelines between games.
However, things shifted dramatically in the second set. Badosa found her rhythm and dominated, taking the set 6-1.
Osaka’s struggles on clay became apparent, with her powerful serves and groundstrokes losing their usual impact. She was also hampered by blisters on her fingers, requiring a medical timeout for treatment.
The third set began with Osaka holding a 2-0 lead, but Badosa quickly recovered, leveling the score and then breaking Osaka’s serve in the pivotal seventh game. Badosa’s consistency and ability to capitalize on Osaka’s errors proved decisive.
The former world number one finished the match with 54 unforced errors, exactly double Badosa’s total, and was broken five times.
At the post-match press conference, Osaka’s disappointment was evident. With tears on her cheeks, she admitted, “As time goes on, I feel like I should be doing better. But also m, I kind of talked about this before, maybe a couple of years ago, or maybe recently, I’m not sure, I hate disappointing people”. She also referenced her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, saying, “He goes from working with, like, the greatest player ever to, like, ‘What the *** is this?’ You know what I mean?”.
Badosa, for her part, acknowledged the challenge, stating, “Honestly, it’s not fair to play her first round, but I’m really happy with the level, especially coming from an injury.”
Osaka’s early exit this year continues her struggles on the Parisian clay, a surface that has historically neutralized her power game. Despite recording recent successes on hard courts and a return to the tour after maternity leave, the French Open remains an elusive puzzle for the Japanese star.
