Australian Open: Naomi Osaka stunned by frosty handshake from Sorana Cirstea

Dubai: Naomi Osaka was taken aback after receiving a frosty handshake from Sorana Cirstea following her victory in the second round of the Australian Open.

Osaka advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over the 35-year-old Romanian, who is competing in what is expected to be her final Australian Open before retirement.

At the net, Cirstea offered only a brief handshake before walking away, then turned back to exchange words with the former world No. 1. Cirstea appeared to accuse Osaka of poor sportsmanship, saying: “You don’t know what fair play is, my friend. You’ve been playing for so long and you have no idea what fair play is.”

The dispute stemmed from Osaka saying “c’mon” to herself while Cirstea was serving in the deciding set — something Cirstea raised with the chair umpire during the match.

Osaka seemed puzzled by the confrontation and addressed it unprompted during her on-court interview. Asked what it took to reach the third round, she said: “Apparently a lot of ‘come-ons’ — that’s what she was angry about — but whatever.”

Her comments drew a mixed reaction from the crowd, and Osaka continued: “I tried to play well. I think I made a lot of unforced errors, but I tried my best. She’s a great player. I think this was her last Australian Open, so sorry she’s mad about it.”

When told Cirstea was frustrated by her self-encouragement between points, Osaka added: “I think so, but she could have asked me.”

After making a show-stopping entrance in the first round — arriving on Rod Laver Arena wearing a white veil, hat and parasol — Osaka opted for a more understated look against Cirstea. She walked onto Kia Arena wearing a blue-green, jellyfish-inspired jacket over the same flowing white dress and trousers, removing the outer layer for her warm-up.