Naomi Osaka has just made it to her first Wimbledon round of 16 after beating Daria Kasatkina. After the match, the Japanese star celebrated the win by giving the fans a hilarious insight into her life as a mother, sharing a relatable story about her daughter’s birthday that had everyone rolling.
Osaka made it to the round of 16 by defeating Daria Kasatkina in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. She took the stage for her on-court interview and recounted how the her daughter Shai’s birthday had taken an unexpected turn. Amusingly, Osaka admitted that the day did not go as planned, as she had to put her daughter in “time-out” during a trip to the park for misbehaving, but nonetheless, celebrated her birthday later that day.
“I don’t think I should be telling you this, but she was kind of bad yesterday. We tried to take her to the park, but then she needed to go to time out, so we’re gonna try to take her to the park again today. It was an awesome birthday.”
Osaka also admitted that Shai made a wish as she blew out the candles, while the Japanese icon hoped that the wish was centered around behaving better:
“She blew out her candles, She made a wish, AND I hope her wish is to behave better, but if not… today’s a new day for her.”
Osaka had welcomed her first child, Shai, in 2023 with her ex-boyfriend, rapper Cordae, and continues to maintain a healthy balance between motherhood and competing as an elite tennis player.
Naomi Osaka Makes It To Her First Wimbledon R16 After Beating Daria Kasatkina
Since making her Wimbledon debut in 2017, Osaka has, for the first time, qualified for the round of 16 with a win against Australian Daria Kasatkina on Friday. The No. 14-seed managed to go this deep in SW19 this time without dropping a single set.
Osaka took just 65 minutes to outlast Kasatkina in straight sets and managed to maintain her dominant head-to-head with the Australian at a 4-0 record.
Her upcoming challenge, however, is a daunting one, as the four-time Grand Slam champion will face the winner of the third-round match between Aryna Sabalenka and Jelena Ostapenko, scheduled to take place later in the day.
While Osaka has had a good run against Ostapenko in the past with a solid 3-0 record, her history with Sabalenka is far more challenging, as the Belarusian holds a 3-1 head-to-head against the Japanese.
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