Japanese tennis player, Naomi Osaka’s quest for a Wimbledon Grand Slam trophy has ended after losing her third-round match two sets to one against Russian opponent, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Osaka, making her first appearance at the third-round stage in the last seven years, appeared more likely to break the jinx following a strong start in the game after winning the first set on court two.
However, the game played on Friday took a new twist as Pavlyuchenkova, who made a second appearance at the competition’s stage, battled back to emphatically record a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over the four-time Grand Slam winner.
The 27-year-old Japanese, who has not won a major title since 2021, continues to wobble in the competition, having lost twice at the third round alongside losses in the first and second round stages in four appearances.
Following the loss on Friday, Osaka said, “I don’t know, with age fear kind of crept along and, I guess, paralyzed me in a way,” she said.
“Now I’m kind of just getting over that and trying to spread my wings on grass.”
Pavlyuchenkova said: “I felt like I was behind for the majority of the match, so I played point-by-point. I’m incredibly happy because I was mentally tough in the three matches that I have won.
