Naomi Osaka's return to the US Open didn't last long.
After her emotional win over world number 10 Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets, Osaka looked set to keep winning for a while in Flushing.
Then, two days later, she withdrew in disappointing fashion, leaving Osaka with only herself to blame.
This isn't necessarily a loss to a better player: Osaka lost after a stellar opening performance in which she played nearly flawless tennis.
Osaka made 21 unforced errors in her 6-3, 7-6 (5) loss to unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night.
“It's a little tough because I take losses really personally,” said the two-time U.S. Open champion, who grew up near Elmont, N.Y. “It sounds dramatic, but every time I lose I feel like my insides die. It's really tough, but as I've gotten older, I've tried to learn more about and talk about losing.”
Osaka, who took time off 13 months ago to give birth to her baby girl, Shai, was competing in her first U.S. Open since 2022 but made too many mistakes.
Seventeen of her 21 errors came in the second set, including four double faults.
The game-changing moment came after Osaka broke Muchova for her only serve to put her up 5-4 in the second set.
But a series of errors from Osaka allowed Muchova, who reached the semi-finals of last summer's U.S. Open and has fallen to 52nd in the world rankings due to injury, to break back despite facing three set points.
In the tiebreak, Osaka was again unable to improve her lead.
She made a crucial double fault while leading 4-2 in the tiebreaker.
On match point, Osaka couldn't convert a swinging forehand volley toward the net.
“The pressure moments made me nervous, but maybe I just need to play more matches and get used to the feeling, especially on a big stage,” she said.
Osaka failed to get past the second round at a Grand Slam in her first year back on the WTA Tour after a 15-month maternity leave, leaving her with an 18-16 record.
But Osaka feels it has been a productive year, even if the results were disappointing.
Her goal is to one day recapture the form that helped her win four major titles and rise to the world number one ranking.
“Honestly, it feels like I'm coming back from a pregnancy, but I wasn't my best self in 2022,” Osaka said. “So in some ways I had to catch up and at the same time try to surpass it.”
