Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open for a second time but this time, it is because of a left hamstring injury, leaving Victoria Azarenka the tournament winner by walkover.
The two-time Grand Slam winner was due to face Victoria Azarenka in Saturday’s final showpiece of the pre-US Open tournament, which was held at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Naomi Osaka, however, sustained the injury during the second-set tiebreak of her 6-2 7-6 (7-5) semi-final victory against Belgium’s 14th-seed Elise Mertens on Friday.
“I’m sorry to have to withdraw today with an injury,” Osaka says.
“I pulled my left hamstring yesterday in the second-set tiebreak and it has not recovered overnight as I had hoped.”
The 22-year-old Japanese tennis star had pulled out of her semifinal clash with Elise Mertens to protest Jacob Blake’s shooting by policemen in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Organisers then suspended play on Thursday, and Naomi Osaka subsequently agreed to play the semifinal on Friday.
A number of sporting events in the US were also postponed due to protests at the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who was shot seven times in the back by police on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“This has been an emotional week and I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support,” added Osaka, whose fitness for next week’s US Open is unclear.
Azarenka, who knocked out British No 1 Johanna Konta in the semi-finals, claims her 21st WTA title and first since 2016.
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