Naomi Osaka secured a straight-sets victory over Anastasia Gasanova at Wimbledon, winning 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the third round. However, the four-time Grand Slam champion was far from satisfied with her performance and made that clear during a live on-court interview with the BBC.
Osaka Refuses to Rate Her Performance
After the match, interviewer Jenny Drummond praised Osaka's display, noting the challenge of facing a qualifier. Drummond asked Osaka to rate her performance, but the former world number one declined. "I mean, I don't rate my performance, I feel like I have to take a little bit of time before that," Osaka said. "My current emotion is I'm just happy I was able to win and she was playing amazing so I'm glad that I was able to do it in straight sets."
Osaka elaborated on her struggles during the match, admitting she felt tight and failed to cover the ball as well as she could have. "She was dominating me in some rallies, so tomorrow I just want to practice a little bit more," she added.
Daughter's Birthday Provides Extra Motivation
Osaka revealed that the pressure to win went beyond just progressing in the tournament. The 14th seed was determined to avoid an early exit that would have dampened her daughter Shai's third birthday on Thursday. "Yes, well, tomorrow is my daughter's birthday," Osaka explained. "I just wanted to be here for longer. I don't want to make her get on a plane on her birthday. I was really happy about today."
She added that she plans to celebrate after practice, saying, "Obviously, I have to practice in the morning, but maybe after go around the park. She loves making friends. We'll probably do that."
Match Statistics and Next Opponent
Osaka converted three of six break point opportunities and never faced a break point on her own serve, sealing the win in just over an hour. The victory puts her one match away from her best-ever Wimbledon performance, having never progressed beyond the third round in three previous attempts (2017, 2018, and 2025).
In the third round, Osaka will face Australia's Daria Kasatkina, who defeated Indonesia's Janice Tjen 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. Kasatkina, a former world number eight, reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2018. The match is scheduled for Friday.
