AUCKLAND, New Zealand – 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 Australian Open, where she won in 2019 and 2021.
Osaka called on the trainers after winning the first set 6-4, after playing without any 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.
Osaka did not divulge details of what forced her to withdraw during a brief on-court interview. However, in a statement, the WTA said she had withdrawn “due to an abdominal injury”.
“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 returned to the circuit 12 months ago and currently occupies 57th place in the world rankings.
