- Naomi Osaka withdraws from Pan Pacific Open in her home city of Osaka.
- Four-time Grand Slam champion unable to defend her title due to stomach pain.
Naomi Osaka, due to stomach pain, withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open at her home event on Thursday before her second-round match.
Against Beatriz Haddad Maia. She was unable to successfully defend her title after that.
“I am really sorry that I am not able to compete today,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion, who won the tournament when it was last held in 2019 in her hometown of Osaka.
“It’s an honour 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 today, but my body won’t let me.”
It was the 24-year-most old’s recent setback after she retired from her first-round match in Toronto due to a back issue and missed the whole grasscourt season due to an Achilles ailment in the run-up to the U.S. Open.
In the quarterfinals, Veronika Kudermetova, the fourth seed, or Fernanda Contreras Gomez, a Mexican qualifier, will oppose Brazil’s Haddad Maia.
