Naomi Osaka Withdraws from Japan Open Due to Injury
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka was forced to withdraw from the Japan Open due to a left leg injury. The news, which shook the tournament, was confirmed on Friday, leaving fans and the organization with a bittersweet feeling.
Osaka’s withdrawal, the tournament’s top seed, allowed Jaqueline Cristian to advance directly to the semifinals. This will be Cristian’s third semifinal appearance so far this year, and the first on a surface other than clay.
The tournament organizers reported that Osaka did not recover from the injury suffered during her second-round match. Before the injury, Osaka had achieved victories against 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, the tennis player showed signs of pain in her left leg. Although she managed to win the point, she requested a medical timeout after the next one.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, returned to the court with her left thigh bandaged and with limitations in her movement, 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.
