© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Japanese Tennis Star Naomi Osaka Bounced Out Of Tokyo Olympics

Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova during their Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games women's singles third round tennis match on Tuesday.
Tiziana Fabi
/
AFP via Getty Images
Japan's Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova during their Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games women's singles third round tennis match on Tuesday.

Japan's Naomi Osaka is out of the Tokyo Olympics after losing on Tuesday in straight sets to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the third round.

The loss is a major upset and a shock to the host country. Osaka is considered the face of these Games and lit the cauldron during the Olympic opening ceremony a few days ago.

Osaka had played well in the tournament's first and second rounds but struggled against Vondrousova in the third round. Vondrousova beat Osaka 6-1, 6-4. The Japanese star had 32 unforced errors and won only 49% of her points when serving.

Osaka came to the Olympics refreshed and happy, in her words, after a difficult couple of months. She withdrew from the French Open after announcing she wouldn't participate in press conferences. Osaka revealed she'd been dealing with depression and anxiety and also decided to skip Wimbledon.

The top two women's tennis players have now lost at the Olympics. Top-ranked Ash Barty of Australia lost in straight sets in the tournament opener.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Marketa Vondrousova of Team Czech Republic celebrates after beating Japan's Naomi Osaka in straight sets of the third round in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
/
Getty Images
Marketa Vondrousova of Team Czech Republic celebrates after beating Japan's Naomi Osaka in straight sets of the third round at the Olympics.

Tom Goldman is NPR's sports correspondent. His reports can be heard throughout NPR's news programming, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and on NPR.org.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content