Naomi Osaka made her comeback to tennis at the Brisbane International after not playing a tournament since September 2022 due to mental health concerns. Osaka, who had a baby daughter in July, expressed her disappointment after her second-round match against defending champion Karolina Pliskova ended with a loss. Pliskova, who won the tournament in 2020, came back from losing the first set to defeat Osaka 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4. Despite the loss, Osaka considered being on the court a personal victory and remains determined to improve.

Osaka acknowledged the challenge of facing Pliskova’s strong serve and recognized that her own break points could have been better. However, she commended both players for their performance in the match. Osaka expressed gratitude for being able to compete, considering her recent doubts about returning to the sport. She believes that her two matches in the tournament have shown her that she is doing okay and that the upcoming year will bring further improvement.

In her first-round match, Osaka showed promise by defeating Tamara Korpatsch. She carried this momentum into her match against Pliskova, breaking her opponent’s opening service game. However, Pliskova’s serve became more effective in the second set, leading to a shift in momentum. Pliskova won the second set tiebreak and secured an early break in the third set, ultimately winning the match in 2 hours and 13 minutes. Pliskova, who has won the Brisbane International three times, felt her performance improved as the match progressed.

In another match, reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka dominated against Lucia Bronzetti, defeating her 6-3, 6-0. Sabalenka expressed satisfaction with her performance and hopes to maintain the same level of play or even surpass it in future matches.