The entire tennis world had their eyes glued to the Margaret Court Arena on Thursday, January 22, as two-time Australian Open Champion Naomi Osaka stepped foot for her second round match. However, her match against Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea gained attraction on social media for very wrong reasons, as both players exchanged words at the net after a frosty handshake.
Naomi Osaka’s Net Exchange with Sorana Cîrstea
Following a three-set win over Croatia’s Antonia Ružić, Osaka geared up for another intense matchup against Cîrstea in the second round. She opened the match dominantly, taking the first set 6-3 after an impressive show late in the game. Cîrstea decided to switch her game mode as she took the lead in the second set after leveling the score at 4-4, leaving Osaka searching for answers.
The third set was where things got heated up between the two professionals as the Japanese broke her opponent’s serve early and took a 3-1 lead. The Romanian fought back, clinching the very next game, but Osaka showed why she is a two-time champion and started to take the lead again.
In the seventh game of the deciding set, when the score was at 30-all, with Osaka leading 4-2. Cîrstea served and hit the net and was preparing for her second serve, but that’s when Osaka shouted come on.
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She stopped the play and asked the chair umpire whether it was okay to shout between points, to which the umpire calmly explained to her that it was fine because she had already made the serve.
The Romanian wasn’t happy with this explanation and kept arguing with the umpire between her first and second serve, which broke her momentum, leading to a double fault, where Osaka gained the 40-30 advantage.
She then won the point and went on to win the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in just under two hours. After the match, Osaka went towards the net to shake hands with her opponent, who didn’t stop to greet the Japanese properly and kept walking towards the umpire.
This left Osaka visibly stunned, who immediately confronted Cîrstea for her unsportsmanlike behavior. They engaged in a heated argument and just walked away from each other.
Frosty handshake and heated argument between Naomi Osaka and Sorana Cîrstea
What was said? pic.twitter.com/neD4F1YJgR
— Corvath Draemir (@Archaicmind3000) January 22, 2026
During Osaka’s post-match on-court interview, the interviewer asked her about the match and what it took to overcome her opponent. The Japanese showed her bold side, giving a sharp reply, saying,
“Apparently, a lot of come-ons that she was angry about. I tried to play well. I kinda 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 if she was mad about it.”
The Japanese even addressed her way of pumping herself between Cîrstea’s first and second serve, stating, “She could’ve asked me,” and stopped in a disappointed way.
Naomi Osaka on the icy handshake with Sorana Cirstea at the Australian Open
“What did it take to get through that one?”
Naomi: “Apparently a lot of come ons that she was angry about. Whatever. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open. Sorry she was mad… pic.twitter.com/uCODMBfnKD
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 22, 2026
This fiery response from the usually calm Osaka made the entire Arena cheer for her boldness. This was a side that the tennis world barely sees of the four-time Grand Slam Champion, who is known for her composure during and after the matches.
As Osaka mentioned, this was Cîrstea’s last Australian Open appearance, as she announced back in December 2025 that the 2026 WTA season would be her last and she would retire after that.
Osaka is now headed to the third round of the Australian Open, where she is set to face Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis, with an 88% chance of winning, according to PFSN’s exclusive interactive simulator.
