Four-time Grand Slam champion pulls out of her first WTA final in three years after winning the first set of the Auckland Open.Naomi Osaka has retired from the final of the Auckland Classic with an abdominal injury, 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 on Sunday.
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.
At the changeover, the 27-year-old stood and performed a series of stretches during a medical timeout.
After consulting with the trainer, she shook the hand of Tauson, who picked up a third career title and her first since 2021.
Osaka did not divulge details of what forced her withdrawal in a short courtside interview.
However, in a statement, the WTA said she retired “due to an abdominal injury”. Advertisement
“I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city and I had a lot of fun playing here and I’m really …
