Sunday Territorian

‘Sulking’ Osaka vows to improve

- PAUL MALONE

DISCONSOLA­TE US Open champion Naomi Osaka’s Melbourne Park preparatio­n is in tatters after a Brisbane Internatio­nal exit in which she told her coach she felt she would either “win the match or die’’.

Osaka scolded herself for “sulking’’ during her stunning 6-2, 6-4 semi-final loss to Lesia Tsurenko, an unseeded player she beat on the way to glory in New York last September.

Comments by the 21-yearold Japanese on-court to her coach Sascha Bajin during the match raised disconcert­ing questions about how she is handling the pressures of being such a young title winner .

“I don’t know why I’m flat ... I think there’s something wrong in my head,’’ she told Bajin.

“I’m putting myself in the situation that either I win the match or I die.”

Osaka’s plans to go back-toback at Grand Slam events will have to be reassessed and she admitted she was finding herself “nervous because people expect me to win’’ since claiming the US Open.

Tsurenko, 27, will bid to become the second Ukrainian to win the Brisbane women’s title in as many years when she plays today’s final against the winner of last night’s second semi-final between 2017 Brisbane champion Karolina Pliskova and unseeded Croatian Donna Vekic.

“If I’m being frank I feel I had the worst attitude today,’’ Osaka, 21, said. “I was sulking a little bit. “But then the ball wouldn’t go in, and then I would go back to being, like, childish.

“Last year I did a lot of that, and I’m trying to change it more, and I think I have.

“I know people don’t like to watch someone so negative.’’

A subdued Osaka counted herself lucky her bad day happened before the Australian Open, which starts tomorrow week.

“I feel from today I have learnt what I can do to improve the situation,’’ she said.

Osaka, who will rise one place to No.4 in the rankings next week, said she was still to decide if she will top off her Australian Open lead-up by turning up for the Sydney Internatio­nal.

She is third seed at the event and drawn to meet Swiss player Timea Bacsinszky in the first round.

The Japanese power hitter was unable to assert herself against the game style of Tsurenko, which includes an eagerness to volley rare in most of the top 40 women.

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