OSAKA, Japan – Tennis player Naomi Osaka was forced to withdraw from the Japan Open on Friday due to a left leg injury.
This decision, made before the quarter-final match, gave Jaqueline Cristian a place in the semi-finals by walkover, according to WTA Tour.
The tournament organizers explained that Osaka, who was the top seed, failed to recover from the injury suffered in the final stage of her second-round match.
For Cristian, this will be his third appearance in the semifinals so far this year, and the first on a surface other than clay.
Before suffering the injury, Osaka achieved victories over Wakana Sonobe and Suzan Lamens, champion of 2024.
After splitting the first two sets with Lamens, Osaka took a 5-0 lead in the third. However, during an exchange with Lamens, Osaka felt discomfort in her left leg.
Although she won the point after Lamens sent a backhand wide, she requested a medical timeout after the next point. Osaka, winner of four Grand Slam titles, returned to the court with her left thigh bandaged and with limitations in her mobility, but managed to close out the match on her third match point.
Osaka was also eliminated in the second round of the China Open at the end of September and in the second round of the Wuhan Open last week.
In another quarterfinal match of the Japan Open on Friday, Leylah Fernandez, 2021 US Open finalist, defeated Rebecca Šramková with a score of 7-6 (2), 6-3.
