"It felt familiar": Naomi Osaka honored to get Australian Open revenge on Rod Laver Arena over Caroline Garcia

Naomi Osaka won a full-circle match on Rod Laver Arena well after midnight Tuesday morning, scoring a 6-3, 3-6, 6-X win over Caroline Garcia in a rematch of their 2024 Australian Open first round.

"I feel like I grinded on the tour a little bit," Osaka laughed when asked what made the difference. "It's a really big coincidence that I'm playing here again but I just tried to do my best. I know we played the night match here last time, as well. It felt a little familiar"

Garcia got the better of Osaka exactly 12 months ago when the former world No. 1 was making a comeback from maternity leave, but Osaka got her revenge in style on Rod Laver Arena, weathering a second-set surge from the former world No. 4 to win in one hour and 45 minutes.

A two-time Australian Open champion, Osaka has been hungry to reach the heights she enjoyed before leaving tour to start a family, giving birth to daughter Shai in the summer of 2023. The 27-year-old played a full season the following year that saw flashes of her best—notably a thrilling Roland Garros clash with then world No. 1 Iga Swiatek—but mostly mixed results as she failed to make it past the second round at any of the four major tournaments.

After shutting down her season due to a back injury, Osaka hit the ground running at the ASB Classic, where she reached her first final since the 2022 Miami Open, and though she retired injured against Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam winner was hopeful the momentum earned alongside new coach Patrick Mouratoglou would carry her into Melbourne.

“I know I lost, debatably lost in the final,” she said before the tournament. “In my head I kind of won it. For me, that's definitely a new career stat because I've only ever been to the semis in tournaments before this one.

“I'm really excited to play here. I'm also excited to be here with Patrick because we technically haven't lost yet. So yeah, it's going to be a good run I think.”

Osaka was poised to make that prediction come true against Garcia, who also struggled for consistency in 2024 after ending the 2022 season with the WTA Finals trophy. The former world No. 4 aimed to bring more positivity into 2025, writing a heartfelt message on social media about a desire to vanquish a “toxic mindset.”

“For too long, I’ve let tennis consume me, ride the emotional highs and lows of every result,” wrote Garcia, who hosts the *Tennis Insider Club* podcast with partner Borja Duran. But I’m more than that. I’m a woman with values, talents, passions, flaws, and strengths. I’m not perfect, but I’m doing my best.”

I'm just really grateful to get the opportunity to play on Rod Laver again, I was a little shocked when I saw the schedule. It's a big honor for me. Naomi Osaka

Despite hoping to avoid Garcia in 2025—the pair have played four times in the last year—Osaka was ready for the big-hitting Frenchwoman as the second night session got underway, breaking twice to clinch the opening set.

"Just being able to play so many matches in New Zealand and then coming here, obviously I had to withdraw from the final because I got injured. I didn't serve too many times before this match but I'm really happy with how it turned out."

In a near-identical second set, Garcia nabbed two breaks of her own to level the match and sought to capitalize on a frustrated Osaka, who took issue with a dubious call from Hawkeye Live.

Getting no relief from umpire Marijana Veljovic, Osaka hunkered down to score a critical break in the third game of the decider, saving three break points in a tense sixth game to put herself on the brink of a deeply satisfying victory.

Just like the first set, Osaka played a stellar return game up 5-3, earning three match points and converting her second to edge over the finish line just before 12:30am. On court with Laura Robson after the match, she sent a message of hope to those affected by the fires in Los Angeles, California.

"I was watching the fire map and the fire's like three blocks from my house. I had someone go and get my daughter's birth certificate because I didn't know what would happen if that burnt down. I'm sending all my love to LA. I know we hear about fires but for me in particular, I didn't know how devestating it can be."

Osaka's road won't get any easier in the second round as she'll face No. 20 seed Karolina Muchova, the woman who beat her last summer at the US Open. Despite dealing with multiple injuries in her career, Muchova bounced back in emphatic fashion in Flushing Meadows, reaching the semifinals and getting within a handful of games of the final.