Osaka Loses to Sakkari in United Cup Amid Illness

PERTH, Australia – Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan lost in straight sets to Maria Sakkari of Greece on Friday in the opening match of their United Cup tie, marking a challenging start to her 2026 season amid ongoing health issues.

Osaka, ranked No. 16 in the world, fell 6-4, 6-2 to the No. 52-ranked Sakkari in a 93-minute match at RAC Arena. Observers noted Osaka coughing frequently and displaying uncharacteristic fatigue, lacking her typical explosive power on court. The defeat gave Greece a 1-0 lead in Group E, which they later secured 3-0 when Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Japan's Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 6-4.

In her post-match press conference, Osaka openly discussed a persistent respiratory illness that has affected her preparations. She traced the symptoms, including coughing and a runny nose, back to around Christmas Eve, when she believes she contracted the virus from her two-year-old daughter, Shai. "I'm not operating at the percent that I want to be operating at, which kind of sucks because I had a really good offseason," Osaka said. "I've been dealing with some health stuff, so I'm kind of just happy to be out here right now. It's not like serious, but...