OSAKA, Japan – Tennis player Naomi Osaka was forced to withdraw from the Japan Open on Friday due to a left leg injury.
Osaka’s withdrawal before the match meant Jaqueline Cristian advanced to the semifinals by walkover, according to the WTA Tour.
The tournament organizers reported that the top seed, Osaka, had not recovered from the injury suffered at the end of her second-round match.
Before the injury, Osaka had achieved victories over Wakana Sonobe and the 2024 champion, 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 an apparent problem in her left leg. She won the point after Lamens sent a backhand wide, but requested a medical timeout after the next point.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, returned to the court with her left thigh bandaged and limitations in her movement, but was able to close out on her third match point.
Osaka lost in the second round of the China Open at the end of September and also in the second round of the Wuhan Open last week.
In another quarterfinal match on Friday at the Japan Open, Leylah Fernandez, finalist of the 2021 US Open, defeated Rebecca Šramková 7-6 (2), 6-3.
