Naomi Osaka’s season ends with Tokyo defeat to Mia Pohankova
The four-time Grand Slam champion lost in straight sets to an 18-year-old wildcard and said she would keep trying to challenge for another major title.
Naomi Osaka’s 2026 season ended in Tokyo on October 29 when she lost 6-3, 7-5 to 18-year-old Mia Pohankova in the Pan Pacific Open’s second round, according to AFP. The defeat sent the Slovak wildcard into the quarter-finals and left Osaka looking to next season for another chance to challenge for a Grand Slam title.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, said she would keep trying to reach the level needed to contend for a major. ‘Obviously when I play a slam, it’s in my mind to challenge for it,’ she said, according to AFP. ‘Unfortunately, I haven’t been in that position yet, and I’m going to keep attempting it.’ She described her tennis as ‘pretty good’ and said she was ‘at peace’ with herself.
How Pohankova beat Osaka in Tokyo
Pohankova, ranked 144th in the world, broke Osaka three times in the opening set after the Japanese player began the match with an ace, AFP reported. The teenager hit seven aces across the match. Osaka said it was ‘tricky to play someone that I know nothing about,’ recalling what it felt like to face established players she had watched on television when she was younger.
Reuters reported that Pohankova turned 18 this month and entered the tournament as a wildcard. ‘I am really proud of myself,’ she said after beating Osaka, adding that she felt good about facing such a difficult opponent for the first time. Pohankova will play American Alycia Parks in the last eight, Reuters reported.
What the loss means for Osaka’s season
Osaka, the seventh seed, had opened her Tokyo campaign with a straight-sets win over Jasmine Paolini, Reuters reported. She was playing the Pan Pacific Open for the first time in four years, according to AFP. The second-round defeat ended a season in which she won no title, and she has yet to reach a Grand Slam final since returning from a 15-month break following the birth of her daughter Shai in 2023.
Now ranked 18th in the world, Osaka had prepared more outfits for the Tokyo crowd, AFP reported. She wore a red kimono-style gown onto court for the Pohankova match after choosing a blue crane-pattern outfit for her opener. She said she would not get to wear the remaining designs after her exit, describing fashion as a creative outlet in a sport she considers more restrained than others.
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Sources and context
- Osaka says she’ll return stronger after latest low, Tokyo exit to PohankovaAl Jazeera, reporting by AFP
- Osaka knocked out in Tokyo by teenager Pohankova in second roundCNA, reporting by Reuters
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.