Maria Timofeeva said she had her watch stolen from the locker room at the China Open 2026 after her three-set defeat to Naomi Osaka in Beijing on October 2, Friday. The Uzbek tennis player claimed in an Instagram story that she left her tennis bag outside her locker for around 10 minutes while she went to take a shower.
Timofeeva, ranked No. 68 in the world, had just finished a hard-fought battle against 12th-seeded Osaka before making the claim. The Japanese former world No. 1 eventually prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and four minutes in their China Open round-of-64 clash.
What Did Maria Timofeeva Say About Her Stolen Watch?
The Russian-born Uzbekistani tennis star took to Instagram after the match and said the incident was not how she wanted to end her day in Beijing. She claimed her watch disappeared after she left her tennis bag outside her locker while she showered.
“Getting my watch stolen from the locker room on a 1000 event wasn’t on my bingo card this year, but at this point I’m accepting my fate of being a victim of all kinds of thefts as my part time hobby,” Timofeeva wrote on her Instagram Story.
She then added that the incident had taught her another lesson about leaving her belongings unattended.
“Another lesson to not leave your tennis bag outside of a locker even for 10 mins while u take a shower.”
Timofeeva ended the post by tagging the China Open and writing: “@chinaopen definitely not how I wanted to end my day.”
🚨 MARIA TIMOFEEVA 🇺🇿 VICTIME D’UN VOL À PÉKIN ! 😳
Après sa défaite contre Naomi Osaka au WTA 1000 de Pékin, la 68e mondiale affirme s’être fait voler sa montre dans les vestiaires du tournoi. ⌚️
La joueuse explique avoir laissé son sac de tennis à l’extérieur de son casier… pic.twitter.com/BdcqFbXYnI
— Univers Tennis 🎾 (@UniversTennis) October 3, 2026
The loss ended Timofeeva’s run at the WTA 1000 tournament, where she was making her first main-draw appearance. The 22-year-old had arrived in Beijing in strong form after winning the WTA 125 title in Porto and was at a career-high ranking of No. 68.
She made Osaka work throughout their encounter, winning the second set 6-3 after the Japanese star had taken the opener by the same score. Osaka then recovered in the deciding set, winning 6-3 to advance.
