The comeback will not be this time. The Danish Clara Tauson, 50th in the world, won the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland on Sunday after the retirement in the final of her opponent, the Japanese Naomi Osaka, who had won the first set.
The former world No.1, who was playing her first final on the circuit in three years, withdrew “due to an abdominal injury” according to the WTA, a hard blow one week before the start of the Open d Australia, where it won in 2019 and 2021.
First set 6-4 for Osaka
Osaka called in the physiotherapist after winning the first set 6-4, after having played without apparent problem for 35 minutes of the first set, seizing Tauson’s serve twice with powerful shots. baseline.
At the time of the changeover, the 27-year-old stood up and performed a series of stretches during a medical timeout. She finally gave up and shook hands with Tauson, who at 22 won the third title of her career and her first since 2021.
“I’m really grateful to be here.”
“I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city, I had a lot of fun playing here and I’m really sorry for how it ended,” Osaka said. “I hope you enjoyed the Tennis we played and I’m really grateful to be here.”
The week therefore ended on a negative note for Osaka, who was looking to win her first title since the 2021 Australian Open.
Her last appearance in the final took place in Miami in March 2022, before she took a 15-month break to give birth to her first child in mid-2023. The Japanese made her return to the circuit 12 months ago and currently ranks 57th in the world rankings.
Swiss
