Sad end at the Australian Open
Tennis star Osaka has to give up in tears
01/17/2025 – 10:13 a.mReading time: 1 min.
The duel between the tennis mothers between Naomi Osaka and Belinda Bencic thrilled the fans in Melbourne. But then the Japanese woman was suddenly stopped.
Japan’s tennis star Naomi Osaka had to withdraw from her third round match at the Australian Open due to injury. After losing the tiebreak of the first set (6:7) against the Swiss Belinda Bencic, the four-time Grand Slam winner declared her task. The meeting between the two players, both of whom are already mothers, had previously thrilled the spectators in the John Cain Arena.
Osaka, 27, struggled with an abdominal muscle injury that visibly affected her. Even a medical break couldn’t provide any relief. Finally, she tearfully decided to end the match and said goodbye to her opponent with a hug. The cancellation means Bencic is in the round of 16 of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.
Two weeks ago, Osaka had similar difficulties at the preparatory tournament in Auckland. At that time she also had to drop out of the final against Denmark’s Clara Tauson due to an injury.
“That’s a real shame. We saw high-speed tennis from the baseline for an hour,” commented former national coach Barbara Rittner on the game at Eurosport.