“Good for them! She shouldn’t be allowed to play" - Fans react to Naomi Osaka-Lina Glushko ASB Classic match being interrupted by anti-Israel protests

Tennis fans recently reacted to Naomi Osaka and Lina Glushko's match at the 2025 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, being interrupted by anti-Israel protestors. This was the first time Osaka and Glushko had faced each other on the WTA tour.

Osaka returned to the WTA 250 hard court tournament after a seven-year hiatus with her last appearance being in 2017 where she reached the quarterfinals before retiring from her match against Ana Konjuh.

This year, the former World No.1 has been seeded seventh and kicked off her campaign by facing Israeli qualifier Glushko, ultimately winning 6-4, 6-4 in the first round. However, the match was not without its fair share of drama.

Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg reported that the match was stopped at the end of the first set due to a disturbance caused by a group of "anti-Israel protesters" outside the stadium. Rothenberg wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter):

“Play at WTA 250 Auckland has been disrupted by anti-Israel protestors outside the grounds (who are very audible on court, on the TV broadcast). Naomi Osaka is playing against qualifier #220 Lina Glushko of Israel, the only Israeli ranked inside Top 500 for either ATP or WTA"

Following this, tennis fans reacted to the presence of the anti-Israel protesters outside the stadium. One fan seemed to agree with the protesters' actions, saying:

“Good for them! She shouldn’t be allowed to play."

Some fans opined that Israeli players, like Lina Glushko, should have restrictions applied to them like Russian and Belarusian players have faced in recent seasons, after the breakout of conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

“As they should!" a fan wrote.

“The same restrictions currently applied to Russian and Belarusian players should also apply to Israeli players," a fan posted.

“To be honest, it’s a travesty that the WTA has not treated Israeli actions in Gaza the same way it had treated Russian actions in Ukraine. Russian athletes don’t have the Russian flag next to their name. Same should happen with Israel," a fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions:

“Finally tennis fans woke up," a fan posted.

“Good. No athlete should be able to compete for a country commiting genocide," a fan wrote.

“Good. Hope they turn up at every tour level event Glushko makes it into. The fact that she not only gets to play but play under her country’s flag is shameful," a fan posted.

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Naomi Osaka after her win over Lina Glushko in ASB Classic 2025 1R: “I’m really happy to be back"

Naomi Osaka [Image Source: Getty Images]

During her post-match on-court interview following her victory over Lina Glushko in the first round of the 2025 ASB Classic, Naomi Osaka said she was delighted to be back on the court and capped it off with a win.

She said,

"I’m really happy to be back. It was good to have to, I guess, scrap a little for the first round. I just kept trying to tell myself ‘One point at a time,’ and try not to get discouraged. Thankfully it came out in my favor at the end."

Looking ahead, Osaka is set to play Julia Grabher in the second round of the WTA 250 hard court tournament in Auckland. The Austrian earned her spot in the second round by defeating qualifier Leyre Romero Gormaz in a match that ended 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(7).

This upcoming match between Naomi Osaka and Julia Grabher will mark their first meeting on the WTA tour. The victor will advance to face one of second-seed Elise Mertens, Hailey Baptiste, wildcard Vivian Yang, and wildcard Renata Jamrichova, in the third round.