Naomi Osaka strengthened her standing at the 2026 Australian Open after beating Sorana Cristea in the second round on Thursday. However, an icy handshake between the two players after the match dominated the headlines.
Cirstea, 35, walked away abruptly from Osaka after a cold handshake and then returned to share a few words with her opponent.
When Osaka asked Cirstea why she snubbed the handshake, the Romanian said:
”That? For not knowing what fair play is, my friend. You’re playing for so long and you don’t know what fair play is”
Cirstea was upset by Osaka’s attempts to pump herself up between the Romanian’s serves. In fact, she even stopped play and complained to the chair umpire, saying:
“It’s okay to ‘Come on!’ between points?”
But the umpire did not warn Osaka and instead told Cirstea that the Japanese was not infringing on any rules.
Opening up about the handshake incident in her post-match interview, Osaka said:
“Apparently a lot of come ons that she was angry about. Whatever. I tried to play well and I think I hit a lot of unforced errors, but I tried my best. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. Sorry she was mad about it.”
The interviewer further asked the 16th seed if Cirstea complaining about her pumping herself up between the Romanian’s first and second serves was a problem. To this, the 28-year-old replied:
“I think so, but like she could have asked me.”
Osaka began her campaign in Melbourne against Antonia Ruzic. The former World No. 1 asserted her dominance, registering a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win. She then defeated Cirstea 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the second round at Margaret Court Arena.
Naomi Osaka on reactions to her outfit at Australian Open 2026
Naomi Osaka is not just commanding attention on the tennis court with her playing skills, but also with her incredible on-court fashion sense. She knows how to tell a story with her attire, and she did exactly that during her first-round entrance at the Australian Open. She wore a striking, jellyfish-inspired gown designed by Robert Wun.
This idea originated from a moment with her 2-year-old daughter, Shai, who showed her a picture of a jellyfish. A few fans were seen imitating her look in the audience during the second round.
In the post-match interview, Osaka was asked whether she thought her outfit would attract so much attention. She said:
“Honestly, not really. I for me, I don’t know. It’s just something fun I love to do um on the court. I think I don’t really talk that much, but I like to express myself through clothes. And I’m really glad that you guys loved it. Hopefully. Yeah just you guys look really cool by the way. But thank you for supporting me. I love you guys for real.”
Up next, Naomi Osaka will take on Aussie Madison Inglis in the third round of the 2026 Australian Open.
Read More Tennis News:
Naomi Osaka Gets Scathing Criticism For Australian Open 2026 Outfit From Tennis Fashion Influencer
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