Naomi Osaka was dumped out of the Wuhan Open in the second round on Wednesday, losing in straight sets to Linda Noskova.
Osaka beat Leylah Fernandez in her opening match at the WTA 1000 tournament, having climbed to 16th in the world rankings following her semi-final run at the US Open.
However, she was unable to progress any further following a comprehensive 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 defeat to Noskova.
Osaka kept things competitive in the first set, with neither player giving up a break of serve. The four-time major champion won 81% of her first-serve points in the opener, compared to 76% for Noskova.
However, things changed massively in the tie-break as all but two points went against the serve, with Noskova getting five mini-breaks to inch ahead.
Osaka missed two chances to break in the first game of the second set, but when Noskova carved out two opportunities of her own in game eight, she took advantage.
Noskova then served the contest out with Osaka striking the net on match point, and the Czech will now take on Jaqueline Cristian or Elena Rybakina in the next round.
Through in two
Linda Noskova advances to the Round of 16, defeating Osaka 7-6(2), 6-3.#WuhanOpen pic.twitter.com/AKkmp3Q5QY
— wta (@WTA) October 8, 2025
Data Debrief: Osaka’s return cut short
Osaka registered her very first victory at the Wuhan Open on Tuesday, having lost in the first round on her only previous appearance at the tournament in 2017.
That triumph made Osaka the only Japanese player to record at least one win at every WTA 1000 event, but she was outgunned by Noskova in the second set on Wednesday.
Osaka won 100% of her first-serve points in the second set, but she only got her first serve in on 53% of occasions, compared to an imperious 73% for Noskova, who also fired off five aces to Osaka’s two.
AloJapan.com