Naomi Osaka s title defense at her home Pan Pacific Open ended Thursday when the former world No. 1 withdrew ahead of her second-round match against Beatriz Haddad Maia due to abdominal pain.
Tokyo, Sep. 22 (AP/PTI): Defending champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open ahead of her second-round match due to illness on Thursday. “I am really sorry that I am not able to compete today,” Osaka said in a statement. “It’s an honor to be able to play at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in front of the amazing fans here in Japan. This has and always will be a special tournament for me and I wish I could have stepped on court, but my body won’t let me. I will see you next year.” Osaka didn’t specify the illness and said before the tournament she was fit and healthy. She was champion of the previous Pan Pacific in 2019 and advanced to the second round this week after Daria Saville retired with a knee injury in their first-round match. Fifth-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil benefited by a walkover from Osaka’s withdrawal and has a quarterfinal against fourth-seeded Veronika Kudermetova, who dominated Mexican qualifier Fernanda Contreras Gomez 6-0, 6-1.
Naomi Osaka, playing her first match since the U.S. Open, advanced to the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open when Australia’s Daria Saville retired with a knee injury in the second game of their evening encounter on Tuesday.