Osaka crashes out after loss to Pavlyuchenkova

Naomi Osaka blew a golden opportunity to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time as the Japanese star was beaten by Russian world number 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Friday.

- Agencies

Osaka was in a strong position after taking the first set on Court Two, but her bid to finally make the last 16 imploded as Pavlyuchenkova battled back to clinch a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

The 27-year-old is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but she has not won a major since 2021.

Osaka’s four previous appearances at Wimbledon ended in two third-round defeats and losses in the first and second round.

Once again she fell short at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Since her triumph at the Australian Open four years ago, she is on a dismal run of 12 successive Grand Slam appearances without reaching the fourth round.

Osaka, 27, gave birth to a daughter in July 2023, returning from a 15-month sabbatical for the start of the 2024 season.