CNN —Naomi Osaka’s return to grand slam tennis ended in a first-round defeat against Caroline Garcia at the Australian Open. Osaka, a two-time champion in Melbourne, was competing in her first grand slam tournament in more than a year when she fell to Garcia 6-4 7-6(7-2) on Monday. But the 30-year-old Garcia produced an assured performance against the four-time grand slam champion, hitting 13 aces – including two in the second-set tie-break – and 34 winners. This was Osaka's first grand slam appearance since the US Open in 2022. Phil Walter/Getty ImagesPrior to the Australian Open, Osaka marked her return to tennis with a victory against Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch.

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Persons: Naomi Osaka’s, Caroline Garcia, Garcia, Rod Laver, Osaka’s, Edgar Su, ” Osaka, Magdalena Fręch, Phil Walter, Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch, Karolína Plíšková, ” Organizations: CNN, Rod Laver Arena, Osaka, Reuters, Getty, Australian, Brisbane International Locations: Osaka, Melbourne, Polish, Czech, “