Naomi Osaka exits Indian Wells in tears after heckle from the crowd

Four-time Grand Slam champion defeated 6-0, 6-4 by Veronika Kudermetova

Naomi Osaka wipes away tears as she leaves the court after losing her match to Veronika Kudermetova at Indian Wells. AP

Naomi Osaka was reduced to tears as she made an emotional exit from Indian Wells on Saturday night after being heckled by a spectator during her 6-0, 6-4 second-round loss to Veronika Kudermetova.

Former world No 1 Osaka, currently ranked 78th 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 was unable to convince the chair umpire to take action and at 0-3 down her emotions spilled over.

Osaka quickly pulled herself together and resumed the match, but even though she raised her game in the second set she could find no answer for Kudermetova, a finalist this year in the Melbourne Summer Set and at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Osaka put athlete mental health in the spotlight in a difficult 2021 in which she revealed she had suffered depression. But speaking on court after the match she said it wasn't that she found the comment so hurtful that she was upset, but because it reminded her of Venus and Serena Williams being heckled at Indian Wells in 2001.

That incident 21 years ago occurred after fellow player Elena Dementieva accused Richard Williams of manipulating the competition. As Venus and Richard took their seats to support Serena in the final against Kim Clijsters, the Indian Wells crowd booed their arrival and loudly cheered for Belgium's Clijsters throughout the match. Both Williams sister would boycott the tournament for the next 14 years.

"To be honest I feel like I've been heckled before it didn't really bother me," she said. "But, like, I've watched a video of Venus and Serena being heckled here.

"If you've never watched it you should watch it," she added, tearing up again before she congratulated Kudermetova on the win and departed the court.

Kudermetova, who had been looking forward to her first career meeting with Osaka, said she didn't know what the spectator said, she just knew her opponent was upset.

"I didn't hear what the lady said because I really was so focused on my game, on my serve, I didn't understand what she said," Kudermetova said. "But after that moment, I saw that Naomi started to cry. I didn't understand what was happening."

With Osaka's defeat the women's field in the prestigious Masters tournament lost another big name.

Aryna Sabalenka, at No 3 the highest-ranked woman in the field, crashed out of her opening match as Italian Jasmine Paolini rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph.

Sabalenka was seeded second in a tournament missing both world No 1 Ashleigh Barty and second-ranked Barbora Krejcikova. Both were late withdrawals, Barty saying she hadn't had time to prepare after her Australian Open triumph and Krejcikova with an elbow injury.

Sabalenka got off to a strong start against the 46th-ranked Italian, but Paolini was able to capitalise on her struggles on serve that included 10 double faults.

Paolini admitted that after dropping the first set by a large margin, victory was the last thing on her mind.

"When the score was 6-2 for her, I wasn't even close to her," she said. "But then, point by point I started to believe."

Sabalenka's exit opens up the draw for former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka, seeded 13th, and sixth seed Maria Sakkari of Greece, both in the same quarter of the draw.

Sakkari opened her campaign with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Czech Katerina Siniakova, while Azarenka beat Australian Astra Sharma 6-3, 7-5.

Spain's Paula Badosa kicked off her title defence with a 6-2, 7-6 victory over Czech Tereza Martincova.

Badosa had lost three prior meetings with Martincova, although all had come before the Spaniard launched herself into the top 10 with her Indian Wells victory in October, when a pandemic delay shifted the event from its usual March slot.

In other second-round action, Australian qualifier Daria Saville toppled ninth-seeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur 7-5, 6-7, 6-4.

US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez of Canada saved four match points in the second set and won a tiebreaker to force a third before Amanda Anisimova retired because of illness.