Naomi Osaka’s opponent says what she thinks about their heated post-match exchange at the Australian Open

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Naomi Osaka had to fight for her place in the third round of the Australian Open.

The two-time champion was in trouble at times, but battled to a three-set win over Sorana Cirstea.

What happened after the match was surprising, as Cirstea and Osaka exchanged words at the net.

The Romanian appeared to grow frustrated with Osaka, who was talking during her first and second serves.

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Asked about it in her on-court interview, the former world number one delivered a fiery response.

“Sorry, she was mad about it, but…” said Osaka.

“Like she could have asked me, like, bro, I’m sorry.”

Cirstea then shared her thoughts on the drama during her post-match press conference.

Sorana Cirstea rubbishes talk of ‘drama’ with Naomi Osaka

The Romanian veteran was asked to share her side of the story.

“No, all good,” said Cirstea.

“We just had a chat. Nothing big.

“I don’t think that’s the main thing after tonight’s match.

“It was a good match. She was much better than me towards the end. Yeah, she deserved the win. So that’s all I will say.”

Cirstea refused to elaborate, as journalists in the press room pushed for an answer.

“I will not talk about that,” she said.

“Look, this is my last Australian Open. I have been playing for 20 years.

Sorana Cirstea’s Grand Slam record

“There’s more going on than a five-second discussion at the end that I had with Naomi [Osaka].

“This is my last Australian Open, and so, yeah, I think the moments are bigger to me than to talk about a five-second chat I had with Naomi at the end.”

Cirstea’s patience was being tested, as she clearly wanted to move on from the incident.

“Is this the big thing that happened tonight?” she asked.

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“No, there was no drama. It was just a five-second exchange between two players who have been on a tour for a long time.

“It stays between us.

“I don’t think that’s, again, for me this was my last match at the Australian Open, so I think I’d like to stay with that.”

Cirstea will now head back to Romania for the Transylvania Open, which begins on Monday, February 2.

But for Osaka, there’s still work to be done down under.

Naomi Osaka must re-focus after her dramatic second-round match

Osaka is still in with a chance of winning a third Australian Open title, but she hasn’t exactly been convincing so far.

The world number 17 has been pushed to a deciding set in both matches she’s played at the 2026 Australian Open.

• 2026 Australian Open 1R – Naomi Osaka defeated Antonia Ruzic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
• 2026 Australian Open 2R – Naomi Osaka defeated Sorana Cirstea, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

In comparison, the other big favorites for the title, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina, have yet to drop a set.

How the Australian Open favorites have performed so far

The important thing is that Osaka’s still in the competition, though, as you don’t get any prizes for how easily you win your matches.

But who’s next?

Osaka will play Australia’s Maddison Inglis in the third round.

They have never played a match against each other on the WTA Tour to date.

Osaka enters that match as the big favorite, and if she does advance, she would likely meet six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek in the last 16.

They, of course, have met before.

Swiatek leads their head-to-head 2-1, but did lose their first career meeting on hard courts six years ago.

That would certainly be a blockbuster fourth-round tie, but Osaka won’t want to get ahead of herself and will first turn her attention to Inglis and round three.

Osaka will play Inglis in the third round of the 2026 Australian Open on Saturday, January 24.