AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Naomi Osaka retired from the final of the Auckland Classic with an abdominal injury Sunday, a blow to the Japanese star just a week before the start of the Australian Open.
Playing in her first WTA final for three years, against Denmark's Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for the physio after taking the opening set 6-4 and pulled out shortly afterwards. Osaka 's sudden withdrawal from the Australian Open warm-up event came as a shock after playing with no apparent problem in the 35-minute opening set, unleashing some powerful groundstrokes to break her opponent in the third and fifth games.
'I hope you did enjoy the tennis that we did play and I'm just really grateful to be here.'It was an anti-climactic finish to the week for Osaka, who was chasing her first title in four years since winning the 2021 Australian Open.Her most recent final appearance was at the Miami Open the following year, before taking a 15-month break and giving birth to her first child midway through 2023.She returned to tennis 12 months ago and has climbed to 57th in the world rankings.
Retires With Abdominal Injury From Australian Open Warm-Up
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