Naomi Osaka withdraws from the Australian Open match due to injury

MELBOURNE, Australia – Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka retired due to injury after dropping the opening set of her third-round match against Belinda Bencic on Friday.

This was Osaka’s first run to the third round at a major tournament since 2022. She missed time in recent seasons due to mental health issues, then was off the tour while pregnant. Her daughter, Shai, was born in July 2023.

Osaka began this season by reaching the final of a tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, on January 5, but she stopped playing in the title match there due to an abdominal injury.

On Friday, Osaka – a former no. 1-ranked player, who owns a total of four Grand Slam titles – visited by a trainer during the change while she led 6-5. The trainer examined Osaka’s stomach area and gave her a pill to take, and play resumed.

Just before the tiebreak began, Osaka went over to her coach’s box on the court and chatted briefly with Patrick Mouratoglou.

After Bencic claimed the set in a tiebreaker by a 7-6 (3) score, taking four of the last five points via unforced errors from Osaka, the chair umpire announced that the match was over after 57 minutes “due to a damage.”

The two players hugged on the sidelines and Osaka left the court. She won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021 and the US Open in 2018 and 2020.

“Hopefully she will be fine soon and be able to play the rest of the season,” said Bencic, who won a single gold medal for Switzerland at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Bencic, who is also a mother, drew a heart on the lens of a front-yard television camera and wrote: “Get well soon, mom.”

Next up for Bencic will be a fourth-round matchup against 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff or 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, who were due to meet on Friday night.

“I’ll watch a little bit if I can,” Bencic said, “but I think I’ll do my cooldown and try to focus on my recovery.”

Bencic, who returned to action last October after having her first baby, has never been past the fourth round in 11 previous appearances at Melbourne Park. She lost at that time a year ago to two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka.