Tennis - Australian Open - Second Round - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 22, 2020 Japan's Naomi Osaka celebrates winning the match against China's Saisai Zheng REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Naomi Osaka offered a light-hearted apology to her racket sponsor for throwing a tantrum against Zheng Saisai at the Australian Open on Wednesday as the defending champion overcame her frustrations to set up a third-round clash with Coco Gauff.
After dropping serve early in the second set, third seed Osaka threw her racket, slammed a ball into the court and gave her racket a kick for good measure before steadying the ship and earning a 6-2 6-4 win on a gusty day at Margaret Court Arena.
