OSAKA, Japan – Tennis player Naomi Osaka was forced to withdraw from the Japan Open this Friday due to a left leg injury.
This decision, made before the quarter-final match, granted Jaqueline Cristian direct passage to the semi-finals, according to the WTA circuit.
The tournament organizers indicated that Osaka, who was the top seed, did not recover from the injury suffered in her second-round match.
Before the injury, Osaka achieved victories over Wakana Sonobe and Suzan Lamens.
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 out, she requested medical time after the next point.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, 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.
In another quarterfinal match of the Japan Open, Leylah Fernandez defeated Rebecca Šramková with a score of 7-6 (2), 6-3.
