Naomi Osaka’s second-round match at the 2026 Australian Open made headlines for the wrong reasons on Thursday, January 22. After the nearly two-hour-long match, Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea couldn’t hold her emotions and acted out of frustration at the net.
Instead of a clean handshake between the opponents, they exchanged words in a heated argument, which made Osaka lose her composure during her on-court interview.
However, during the post-match press conference, Osaka issued an apology for the ‘disrespectful’ comments she made during the interview.
Naomi Osaka Apologizes to Sorana Cîrstea Following Heated Australian Open Incident
Osaka beat Cîrstea 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena in just under two hours. After an early exchange of breaks, she reeled off to win four consecutive points, breaking her opponent and eventually clinching the opening set. The Romanian then took control to level the match by taking the second set.
Things heated up in the decisive set as Osaka took a 3-1 lead. At 4-2, Cîrstea confronted the chair umpire about her opponent’s ‘come-ons’ between her first and second serves. After the match, she offered a cold handshake to the Japanese player at the net.
During the on-court interview that followed, Osaka taunted her opponent by saying it took “a lot of come-ons that she was angry about” to win the match. She also added that since it was Cîrstea’s last Australian Open appearance, she was extra emotional. However, when the emotions settled down, Osaka issued an apology in her post-match press conference.
MORE: Tensions Rise as Naomi Osaka Hits Out at Sorana Cirstea After Fiery Net Exchange at Australian Open
The interviewer informed Osaka that Cîrstea played it down in her press conference and asked whether the pair had since spoken behind the scenes. The Japanese offered a measured response:
“If I’m being honest, I’ve never been involved in something like this before. I don’t know if we’re supposed to leave it on the court and be like ‘Hey, how you doing?’ I’m a little confused, but I get that emotions were very high for her.”
She then apologized to her opponent by saying, “I also want to apologize. I think the first couple things I said on the court were disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do.”
Naomi Osaka apologizes for what she said in her on-court interview after the handshake with Sorana Cirstea, ‘I think the first couple things I said on the court were disrespectful. I don’t like disrespecting people. That’s not what I do’
Naomi: “If I’m being honest, I’ve never… pic.twitter.com/NhYVfPKLI9
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 22, 2026
Osaka left the gates open for a resolution of the issue: “If she wants to talk about it, then yeah. When I’m pumping myself up, in my head, I’m not like ‘Okay, and now I’m gonna distract the other person.’ It’s purely for me.” She clarified that what she said in the on-court interview wasn’t something she wanted to convey, “I thought I could’ve done a lot better.”
MORE: Sorana Cîrstea Refuses To Entertain Naomi Osaka Spat in Australian Open Press Conference
What Happened Between Osaka and Cîrstea?
Cîrstea was serving at 4-2 (30-30) in the decisive set when she missed her first serve and was preparing for the second. Between the serves, Osaka pumped herself up by shouting, “Come on.” Out of frustration, Cîrstea asked the chair umpire whether such assertions were allowed.
The Romanian wasn’t happy with the umpire favoring her opponent and continued the argument. She broke her own momentum, committing a double fault and ultimately losing the match. At the net, when both players came for a handshake, Cîrstea surprised Osaka with a cold exchange. This was followed by a fiery argument, leading to the bold on-court interview from Osaka.
The two-time champion now advances to face Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis on Saturday, January 24, with an 88% winning chance according to PFSN’s exclusive interactive simulator.
