The four-time Grand Slam champion withdrew from her first WTA final in three years after winning the first set of the Auckland Open.
Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Auckland Classic final with an abdominal injury, a blow for the Japanese star just a week before the start of the Australian Open.
Playing in her first WTA final in three years, against Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for physiotherapy after taking the first set 6-4 and retired shortly afterwards on Sunday.
Osaka’s sudden withdrawal from the Australian Open qualifiers came as a shock after she played without a hitch in the 35-minute opening set, unleashing several powerful groundstrokes to break her opponent in the third and fifth games.
During the substitution, the 27-year-old stood and performed a series of stretches during a medical time-out.
After consulting with the coach, she shook hands with Towson, who won her third career title and first since 2021.
Osaka did not reveal details about what forced her to withdraw in a brief interview in court.
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 and 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.”
It was an anti-climactic end to the week for Osaka, who was chasing her first title in four years after winning the 2021 Australian Open.
Her last final appearance was at the Miami Open the following year, before taking a 15-month break to give birth to her first child in mid-2023.
She returned to tennis 12 months ago and climbed to the 57th place in the world ranking.
Osaka arrived in Auckland admitting her “deep love” for tennis is returning and expressed confidence in the possibility of a strong campaign at the year’s first Grand Slam, which starts in Melbourne on January 12.
