Naomi Osaka has rare off day on tennis court after winning streak ends, fans shocked

Naomi Osaka's challenge for the No.1 spot in the WTA ranking ended after the Australian Open winner succumbed to a shock defeat in the Miami Open. The 23-year-old saw her 23-game winning streak end at the hands of No. 23-seeded Maria Sakkari, who claimed a famous straight sets victory. Osaka looked a shadow of her imposing presence on the court, and fans were visibly shocked to see her crash out of the Miami Open. The Osaka vs Sakkari highlights made for rare viewing.

Miami Open 2021 live: Australian Open champ suffers shock defeat, ends 23-game winning run 

While Naomi Osaka has been a dominant force in Grand Slam competitions, the Miami Open remains an Achilles heel for the tennis ace. Osaka, who was a 23-game winning run, crashed out of the tournament after suffering a 0-6, 4-6 loss in just 69 minutes aginst Maria Sakkari. The 25-year-old Greek ace produced a masterful display to ensure that Ashleigh Barty, who has already made the semi-finals, will remain at the top of the WTA Rankings. Here are the Osaka vs Sakkari highlights - 

Osaka lost 15 consecutive points on her serve to fall behind and also blew a 4-1 lead in the second set. The 23-year-old had took a 40-0 lead in the opening game but failed to win another point on her serve until the second set. Sakkari rallied back to win five consecutive points, hitting one last thunderous return to break before serving out coolly for the victory.

Naomi Osaka last lost a game against Coco Gauff in the Australian Open 2020. Speaking to the media after the game, the 23-year-old compared both games and added that she is trying to learn how to win matches when she can’t find her best tennis. Osaka has looked far from comfortable during the Miami Open 2021 live, and was pushed to the edge against Ajla Tomljanovic. Nonetheless, the Australian Open champion will now set ther eyes on the upcoming Grand Slam tournaments, with the French Open and the Wimbledon scheduled in the upcoming months. The Naomi Osaka world ranking stands at 2nd.

Meanwhile, Sakkari, the only Greek woman ranked in the top 250, earned her sixth career win over a top-five opponent. She's still in the tournament only because she saved six match points in the previous round before beating American Jessica Pegula. The 25-year-old will next play No. 8-seeded Bianca Andreescu of Canada, while the other women's semi-final will pit Barty against No. 5 Elina Svitolina. Here's how the fans reacted to Osaka's shock defeat:

Naomi Osaka ranking: Naomi Osaka net worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Naomi Osaka's net worth is valued at around $25 million. Of this, Osaka has won a whopping $19,674,032 in career prize money alone (WTA figures). The Japanese star has several highly lucrative endorsements with Nike, Yonex, Nissan Motor, Nissin Foods, Shiseido, All Nippon Airways, Mastercard and Procter & Gamble among others. In 2020 Osaka was Forbes' highest-paid female athlete, taking over a post long held by idol and rival, Serena Williams. Osaka's winnings from the Australian Open 2021 alone amounts to $2.75 million. 

Disclaimer: The above Naomi Osaka net worth information is sourced from various websites and media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the figures.

(Image Courtesy: wtatennis.com)