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Olympics

Naomi Osaka Exits the Olympics After Losing to Marketa Vondrousova

Naomi Osaka was one of the favorites for gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, but she’ll be going home without a medal. Her Olympic dream was crushed by the Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova, who scored an easy win in the third round of the women's singles tennis tournament. Vondrousova is currently the world number 42, so it was quite a shocker to see her defeat Osaka 6-1, 6-4. The four-time Grand Slam champion represented Japan at the Olympics and said she enjoyed her journey at the tournament despite her failure to score a gold medal on home soil. "For me, I'm really glad to be here. I'm sad that I lost of course, but all-in-all, really happy with my first Olympic experience," Osaka told reporters after the match. In addition to playing for Japan, Osaka was also in charge of lighting the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony. She became the first tennis player to ever set it ablaze and described this as “the greatest athletic achievement and honor” of her life. The Olympic Games in Tokyo marked her first tournament since the withdrawal from the French Open in June, when her decision started a larger conversation about mental health in sports.