AFP – Naomi Osaka retired from the final of the Auckland Classic with an abdominal injury yesterday, a blow to the Japanese star just a week before the start of the Australian Open.
Playing in her first WTA final for three years, against Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for the physio after taking the opening set 6-4 and pulled out shortly afterwards. Osaka’s sudden withdrawal from the Australian Open warm-up event came as a shock after playing with no apparent problem in the 35-minute opening set, unleashing some powerful groundstrokes to break her opponent in the third and fifth games.
At the changeover, the 27-year-old stood and performed a series of stretches during a medical timeout. After consulting with the trainer she shook the hand of Tauson, who picked up a third career title and her first since 2021.
Osaka didn’t divulge details of what forced her withdrawal in a short courtside interview.
However, in a statement, the WTA said she retired “due to an abdominal injury”. “I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city and I had a lot of fun playing here and I’m really sorry about how it ended,” Osaka said.
