Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka was brought to tears by a heckler Saturday on the way to a 6-0, 6-4 loss to Veronika Kudermetova in the Indian Wells WTA hardcourt tournament.
Japan’s Osaka, ranked 78th in the world after her third-round exit at the Australian Open, was rocked early in the first set when someone in the crowd yelled “Naomi, you suck.”
She pleaded with the chair umpire to take action to no avail, and at 0-3 down in the second-round match, her emotions spilled over.
Osaka pulled herself together and resumed the match, but Kudermetova, the 21st seed, raced through the opening set before Osaka managed to hold serve to open the second.
Although she lifted her game, Osaka couldn’t capitalize on any of her four break points in the contest, and a break of serve in the seventh game of the second set was enough for Kudermetova to capture the victory.