Naomi Osaka Withdraws from the Japan Open Due to Injury
Tennis player Naomi Osaka was forced to withdraw from the Japan Open due to a left leg injury, preventing her participation in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The announcement was made on Friday, leaving her fans uncertain about her physical condition.
As a result of this withdrawal, Jaqueline Cristian advanced directly to the semifinals of the tournament. The WTA Tour confirmed this decision after the withdrawal of Osaka, who was the main favorite.
According to the tournament organizers, Osaka did not recover from the injury suffered during her second-round match. For Cristian, this will be his third semifinal appearance so far this year and the first on a surface other than clay.
Before the injury, Osaka had achieved important victories over Wakana Sonobe and the 2024 champion, Suzan Lamens. The match against Lamens was particularly challenging, with Osaka showing a great performance before being affected by the injury.
After splitting the first two sets with Lamens, Osaka took a 5-0 lead in the third. However, during an exchange, she suffered an apparent injury to her left leg. Despite winning the point, she requested medical time afterwards.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, returned to the court with her left thigh bandaged and with limited movement, managing to close out the match on her third match point. Previously, Osaka had performed less favorably, losing in the second round of the China Open at the end of September and in the Wuhan Open last week.
In another quarterfinal match of the Japan Open, Leylah Fernandez defeated Rebecca Šramková with a score of 7-6 (2), 6-3.
