Sorana Cirstea gives Naomi Osaka frosty handshake after Australian Open clash

MELBOURNE, Australia—Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open second round ended awkwardly on Thursday when vanquished opponent Sorana Cirstea gave a frosty handshake after her 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win.

Cirstea, who previously announced that the 2026 season would be her last before retirement, accused Osaka of talking between serves, but was reluctant to discuss the issue in her post-match press conference.

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

"There was no drama. It was just a five-second exchange between two players that have been on a tour for a long time. It stays between us.

"For me this was my last match at the Australian Open, so I think I'll like to stay with that."

A former world No. 1 and two-time champion, Osaka has been one of the biggest stories of the tournament’s first week—as much due to her on-court fashion as her play. The 28-year-old emerged on court for her first round decked out in a collaboration with designer Robert Wun, an ensemble Osaka claims was inspired by jellyfish and butterflies.

"I just thought, I was like, Huh, that's interesting. That was my exact thought in my head," Osaka said when initially asked about the moment in her post-match press conference.

"I'm not a person that reacts well to be casually disrespected."

Osaka edged past Antonia Ruzic in the first round and needed three sets to dispatch Cirstea, a former world No. 21.

Addressing the incident in her on-court interview, Osaka said, “I think it’s [Cirstea’s] last Australian Open, so that’s probably why she is mad,” adding that the Romanian could have confronted her about any issue during the match.

Osaka later apologized for the comments when speaking to the media.

"I think the first couple things that I said on the court was disrespectful. I don't like disrespecting people. That's not what I do."

Standing between Osaka and a return to the Australian Open’s second week is hometown favorite Maddison Inglis, who defeated Laura Siegemund in a third-set tiebreaker earlier on Thursday.