'My little revenge' - Osaka fights back in Melbourne

Australian Open 2025

Dates: 12-26 January Venue: Melbourne Park

Coverage: Live vigor commentary connected Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT connected BBC 5 Sports Extra, positive unrecorded substance commentaries connected the BBC Sport website and app

Naomi Osaka said she had gained a "little revenge" aft producing a stirring fightback to bushed Karolina Muchova and scope the Australian Open 3rd round.

Two-time Australian Open champion Osaka mislaid to the Czech successful consecutive sets astatine past year's US Open but came backmost from a acceptable down successful Melbourne to triumph 1-6 6-1 6-3.

It is the archetypal clip Osaka has reached a Grand Slam 3rd circular since returning from maternity permission past year.

"She crushed maine astatine the US Open erstwhile I had my champion outfit ever. I was truthful mad," Japan's Osaka joked to the crowd.

"This was my small revenge. It's not a atrocious thing, guys - revenge is competitive. She's 1 of the toughest opponents retired there."

Osaka, 27, gave commencement to girl Shai successful July 2023 and returned to the WTA Tour six months later.

The four-time large victor mislaid successful the archetypal circular connected her Slam instrumentality astatine the Australian Open past year, earlier exiting successful the 2nd circular astatine Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows.

But the erstwhile satellite fig 1 is disconnected to an awesome commencement successful 2025, beating France's Caroline Garcia successful 3 sets successful her opening lucifer earlier overcoming 20th effect Muchova successful conscionable nether 2 hours.

"Honestly, it took everything," Osaka said of her comeback triumph connected Wednesday.

"I felt similar I near everything I had connected the court. Just to beryllium backmost connected these courts... it truly makes my full year."

Osaka volition play Belinda Bencic successful the adjacent round, with the Canadian herself playing her archetypal Grand Slam since giving commencement to girl Bella successful April 2024.

A 3rd consecutive triumph would nonstop Osaka into the 4th circular astatine a large for the archetypal clip since she won the Australian Open successful 2021.