Naomi Osaka was forced to abandon her final in Auckland, while leading by a set (6-4) against the Danish Clara Tauson, 50th in the world. The former world number 1 suffers from an “abdominal injury”, less than a week before the start of the Australian Open.
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 number one, 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. Australia, where it won in 2019 and 2021.
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.
An “abdominal injury” mentioned, without further details
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 withdrew “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 in order to give birth to her first child in mid-2023. The Japanese woman returned to the circuit 12 months ago and currently occupies 57th place in the rankings global.
