Coco Gauff ended Naomi Osaka's Australian Open reign with a reality check.
Osaka said while nerves played a part in her 6-3, 6-4 loss to the 15-year-old phenom, the loss shows her she must work harder and continue developing her game.
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"I just feel tight, like, playing here a little bit because of the defending thing," Osaka said. "And then today more, because I have played her before. There's always, like, such a huge hype leading into the match. And of course it's, like, well-deserved.
"It's just tough. You don't want to lose to a 15-year-old, you know. But I guess that's for me, like, a reality check. It doesn't really matter the age of the opponent. Of course she deserves to be here. She played her matches. I just have to work harder."
Gauff showed how fast she's accelerated on the learning curve dictating play months after Osaka outclassed the younger American 6-3, 6-0 under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium in the US Open third round. Gauff vowed to play more aggression in the rematch and did exactly, serving with more sting and breaking down Osaka's two-hander in backhand exchanges.
It's a loss that will linger for Osaka and the latest chapter of what could be a crackling rivalry.
"Right now I think just losing to her... that hurts more than, like, the defending champion thing," Osaka said. "I think it's because I have an age problem. Like, I don't like losing to people that are younger than me, and there is hardly people thare younger than me. Yeah, I took this very personally."
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve