"I can't feel happy, I'm just sad" - Naomi Osaka's opponent Clara Tauson gets honest about 'worst final' of career at ASB Classic

Clara Tauson opened up about what she felt after Naomi Osaka's mid-match retirement in the final of the 2025 ASB Classic. The Dane dubbed their match as the 'worst final' she has emotionally played.

Tauson and Osaka showed some brilliant tennis throughout the week to make it to the final in Auckland. The seventh seed came in guns blazing into the final taking a huge 5-1 lead in the opening set. Though the Dane responded by getting one of the breaks back, the gap was too big to cover up. Osaka clinched the opening set 6-4.

In an unfortunate end to a very exciting matchup, Naomi Osaka decided to retire from the match, seemingly due to abdominal discomfort. During the presentation ceremony, Clara Tauson expressed her disappointment with how the match ended and dubbed it the 'worst final' she played emotionally. She admitted that she had mixed emotions about winning the match.

“First of all I have to say I’m really sorry about this final. Naomi was playing some great tennis today. That’s the worst final I’ve ever played emotionally. I can’t feel happy. I’m just sad about what happened today. Im happy about the week I had. I’m happy that I won… but not really," she said.

While Naomi Osaka reached her first final since 2022 at the ASB Classic, Clara Tauson won the third title of her career

Naomi Osaka and Clara Tauson after the match - Source: Getty

Though the match did not end how she would have wanted, Naomi Osaka reached her first final since the 2022 Miami Open and also since welcoming her daughter Shai. She had an underwhelming 2024 season where she struggled a lot to find her rhythm.

Osaka scored routine wins over Lina Glushko and Julia Grabher following which Hailey Baptiste from a set down. She defeated Alycia Parks next to reach the summit clash. The Japanese is still looking for her first title since the 2021 Australian Open. She had also discussed that she would consider hanging up her racket if she didn't achieve the desired results.

With her win at the 2025 ASB Classic, Clara Tauson won the third title of her career after winning the WTA 125 in Chicago and WTA 250 in Lyon, both in 2021.

Tauson kicked off her campaign with a comfortable win over Lucrezia Stefanini following which she recovered from a one-set deficit to oust Sofia Kenin. The Dane then stunned top seed Madison Keys and Robin Montgomery in straight sets to reach the final.