Osaka pulls out of Australian Open warm up
Naomi Osaka pulled out of a warm-up tournament for the Australian Open Saturday, saying her "body got a shock" after playing her first matches for four months, opening the Melbourne Summer Set title door to Simona Halep.
Osaka, the reigning Australian Open champion, hit the court this week for the first time since her tearful early exit at the US Open, after which she took a long break to deal with personal matters.
In Melbourne, she played three matches in quick succession and they took a toll. She withdrew before the start of her semi-final on Rod Laver Arena against Russian Veronika Kudermetova.
"Unfortunately I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the #AusOpen," the Japanese superstar and top seed said in a statement released by the Australian Open on Twitter.
Osaka added on her own Twitter feed that it had been a tough return and she didn't want to push too hard with the opening Grand Slam of the year starting on January 17.
"Sad to withdraw due to injury from my match today, my body got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break I took," she said.
"Thank you for all the love this past week I'll try to rest up and I'll see you soon."
The four-time Grand Slam champion had beaten France's 61st-ranked veteran Alize Cornet 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in her first match back on Tuesday.
She then demolished Belgium's Maryna Zanevska 6-1, 6-1 before blasting past Germany's Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 7-5 to make the semi-finals.
Her withdrawal sent Kudermetova into the final with a walkover where she will meet Halep, who crushed Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2.
The win ensured the Romanian, whose season was plagued by injury last year, reached a WTA singles final for the 13th straight season.
"I'm really happy that I can play the final for the first tournament of the year. I'm feeling good, and I'm happy with the way I played," said the two-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one.
"Last year definitely was the worst year that I ever had. The toughest mentally also.
"But I want to forget about that. I just want to get the feeling from now. I am positive. I am feeling fit on court. I'm moving well. I'm playing good."
Halep missed Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics last year with a calf injury and ended her season early due to a knee issue, which culminated in her ranking slumping to 20.
There are two simultaneous WTA events being run as part of the Melbourne Summer Set in the lead-up to this month's Australian Open.
In the other tournament, American Amanda Anisimova swept past 26th-ranked Russian Daria Kasatkina to zero in on her second WTA title, racing through the semi-final 6-2, 6-0.
The 56-minute thrashing at Rod Laver Arena set up a final against either fellow American young gun Ann Li or Belarus' Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who play later.
Anisimova, 20, had lost her last 14 matches against top-30 players, but was too hot for third seed Kasatkina, converting seven of 11 break points while dominating on her serve.
- ·Webb scientists haven't found a rocky world with air. But now they have a plan.
- ·公园整改见成效 市民休闲更舒心
- ·人大代表述职“晒出成绩单”选民现场评议点赞
- ·科普链接:动植物基因库之冠鱼狗
- ·Apple to start manufacturing iPhone Pro in India, report claims
- ·产业培训有计划 整体发展有力量
- ·早春茶采摘时间提前 鲜叶价格大幅上涨
- ·四川今天表彰了3个先进县榜单!雅安市雨城区、汉源县上榜!
- ·味道真系正!怀集食材邂逅顺德厨艺
- ·接到命令立即抢险 争取最短时间恢复通行能力
- ·爆汁甘甜,来一颗北纬21°界炮圣女果!
- ·爆汁甘甜,来一颗北纬21°界炮圣女果!
- ·Project 2025 Comstock Act: Trump’s new abortion comment exposed.
- ·肾结石久拖不治 将造成严重恶果
- ·自带环保袋渐成时尚 绿色消费方式需人人参与
- ·全世界的鱼都“游”入这里:盘点2023中国水产种博会暨首届广东海洋牧场产业大会的“国际元素”
- ·Police bust crypto scammer who received plastic surgery to evade arrest
- ·夏季“养车季”来临 送爱车一次免费体检
- ·南农晨读丨林下仙草
- ·社区有了共享书吧 免费借阅惠及群众
- ·水产品占“四席”!广州南沙十个农产品上榜“国字号”
- ·疆品南下记:一场跨越五千公里的双向奔赴
- ·市区雅州大道部分休闲座椅脏乱 市民入座难
- ·芦山猴山飞瀑旅游区开门迎客
- ·What to expect from Apple's September event: iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, and more
- ·强化电力保障 助力脱贫增收
- ·How do you make safe, cheap nuclear reactors? Bury them a mile deep
- ·石棉县:降雨致道路边坡垮塌 迅速抢通保障道路通行
- ·“我爱大熊猫”国际少儿明信片绘画大赛启动!
- ·走村入校 送上“法治大餐”
- ·Which is Faster for Gaming, Windows 10 or Windows 11?
- ·雅安科技馆科普剧《牙齿地铁站》公演
- ·2019年“法考”31日开考
- ·疆品南下记:一场跨越五千公里的双向奔赴
- ·Listeners encouraged to go wild with Le Sserafim's 4th EP
- ·送“技”下乡,韶关南雄科技特派员为特色产业保驾护航