Osaka blows chance to reach Wimbledon fourth round
Naomi Osaka blew a golden opportunity to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time as the Japanese star was beaten by Russian world number 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Friday.
Osaka was in a strong position after taking the first set on Court Two, but her bid to finally make the last 16 imploded as Pavlyuchenkova battled back to clinch a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
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The 27-year-old is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but she has not won a major since 2021.
Osaka's four previous appearances at Wimbledon ended in two third-round defeats and losses in the first and second round.
Once again she fell short at the grass-court Grand Slam.
Since her triumph at the Australian Open four years ago, she is on a dismal run of 12 successive Grand Slam appearances without reaching the fourth round.
Osaka, 27, gave birth to a daughter in July 2023, returning from a 15-month sabbatical for the start of the 2024 season.
The former world number one, now down to 53rd in the WTA rankings, has always struggled on grass.
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Earlier this week, Osaka admitted she had feared playing on the surface for much of her career.
"I don't know, with age fear kind of crept along and, I guess, paralysed me in a way," she said.
"Now I'm kind of just getting over that and trying to spread my wings on grass."
Osaka's wings were clipped by Pavlyuchenkova in a rollercoaster clash.
The Japanese star quickly raced into a 4-1 lead and clinched the first set with an ace.
Pavlyuchenkova levelled the match with a blistering forehand on set point in the second set.
Osaka left the court to compose herself before the final set, but she was broken in the second game and fell 3-0 down.
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Faced with elimination, Osaka battled back, winning three consecutive games, only to crumble as Pavlyuchenkova pounced when the pressure mounted.
"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," said the Russian.
"I'm usually not so good on grass. The majority of you were cheering for Naomi today but it's OK. As I said, I'm mentally tough."
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Brian Vahaly, who played in the 2000s and reached a career-high of world No. 57, and Bobby Blair, on tour in the 1980s, came out after they had retired from professional tennis. 'Sports haven't traditionally been a place where people have felt like they can be their full queer selves,' McCarvel said. 'I think of central London and the scenes in Soho and the Pride flags and the fact that it's not reflected today visually here at Wimbledon.' Lesbian couple Jo Smith and Amelia Pamplin, two tennis fans from Brighton, said it feels like a safe and accepting place here, even without a day to recognise and celebrate the importance of Pride. 'It doesn't feel like there's been any animosity at all at any point,' Pamplin said. 'We've been sitting on the hill and that was fine, I gave her a kiss, everything was fine and normal.' Advertisement 'When I think about it and that it's London Pride then I suppose it would be nice to have something like that around here,' Smith said. Caoimhe O'Neill Coming back to tennis after giving birth is one of the toughest things to do in sport, but Belinda Bencic continues to thrive back on the WTA Tour. She is through to the Wimbledon fourth round after a tight three-set win over Jessica Pegula's conqueror, Elisabetta Cocciaretto. It continues a great season for Bencic, on top of winning the Abu Dhabi Open title and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open too. When the rankings next update, she'll be back in the world's top 30 at a minimum; she could go even higher if she can beat No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova Monday to reach the quarterfinals. Bencic returned to tennis in October, ranked No. 1213, having given birth to her daughter, Bella, six months earlier. She did so at an ITF W75 event in Hamburg, Germany, on the lowest rung of professional tennis. She played a couple more such events before the year was out, reaching the final in Angers, France. 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Advertisement She insisted that managing this kind of comeback is a very personal thing, but in so far making one of the hardest things in tennis look miraculously straightforward, Bencic's lower-tier tournament strategy may be a replicable one. Charlie Eccleshare Perhaps it's fitting that America found some success on July 4 weekend. As Grand Slams go, this Wimbledon hasn't been great for those representing the stars and stripes. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, the No. 2 and 3 seeds, left in the first round. Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe were out in the second. Madison Keys, Sofia Kenin, Danielle Collins and Brandon Nakashima lost in the third. Saturday, Nakashima, the No. 29 seed, won the first set and held leads in the second and third against Italy's Lorenzo Sonego, but ultimately lost a five-hour match in a tiebreak. Iga Świątek dispatched Collins in a ruthlessly patient 6-2, 6-3 win. Just two of the eight American women who were seeded are still alive. 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Advertisement Navarro is the only one of the four who won't be the favorite in her fourth-round match against Mirra Andreeva, the world No. 7. 'I'm super pumped to be where I'm at,' she said after beating Krejčíková. These are the days and the moments that you have to appreciate and enjoy because they are fleeting. It's not going to be like this forever.' Matt Futterman Novak Djokovic has been looking ominous as he eases into this tournament. But what about spectacular and ominous? 'In all his years at Wimbledon, he won't have played many finer rallies than that!' 🤩 Brilliant entertainment on Centre Court 👏👏👏#Wimbledon — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 5, 2025 🎾 Men's singles, 12 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+ Andrey Rublev (14) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) Alcaraz has mostly survived, rather than thrived at Wimbledon 2025. For Andrey Rublev, his second-week run is redemptive, after a first-round meltdown here last year that took him to a dark place. 🎾 Women's singles, 11 a.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+ Women's singles: Linda Nosková (30) vs. Amanda Anisimova (13) Two of the purest ball-strikers on the WTA Tour face each other on a fast court. This should, simply put, be cinema. Tell us what you noticed on the sixth day…
