After a smooth first set for Naomi Osaka, Mertens broke back in the second. From there, Osaka's unforced errors started piling up, her body language worsened, and her frustration became obvious. Mertens took advantage of the dip and won the set 6-3.
After eventually surviving the match, Osaka admitted she had been too negative on court and apologized to the crowd
"Honestly, I didn't feel like I played amazing, and it was really getting me down, like I was very negative on myself, so I'm really sorry about my behavior. For the little kids watching, I'm really sorry," said Osaka in her on-court interview. "This is my favorite tournament, so I really wanted to play well in front of you guys. I'm really glad that I have an opportunity to play another match."
Osaka started well against Elise Mertens, taking the opening set and carrying that momentum into the second with an early break. But once Mertens settled in, the match quickly became far more complicated for the former World No. 1.
But once Mertens broke back, Osaka's level dropped sharply. She was heard saying, "I'm f–king slowing down," as the errors piled up, her second serve became vulnerable and her frustration increasingly showed in her body language.
Things spilled over into the third set. After being broken at 2-2, Osaka sat through the changeover with a towel covering her face, then screamed at herself after sending a ball into the net while trailing 3-2.
Her frustration had clearly become part of the match, with commentator Mary Carillo also pointing to Osaka's mental struggles as the contest began slipping away.
The match continued to slip away from Osaka in the third set, and her frustration boiled over toward her box. Coach Tomasz Wiktorowski quickly tried to redirect that emotion back toward Mertens.
