Naomi Osaka's injury woes continue as Belinda Bencic advances at Australian Open after retirement
ATP
Belinda Bencic will face either Coco Gauff or Leylah Fernandez in the third round on her return to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open. Albeit it was in unfortunate circumstances as Naomi Osaka had to retire injured from their tie.
Osaka retired from the third round clash after losing to first set narrowly 7-6(3). After reaching the final of Auckland and also being ahead of Coco Gauff in China before retiring in both due to injury, it has become a bit of an issue for the former World No.1 especially when she seems to be cruising.
But Bencic will now win through to her first Last 16 at a major since the 2023 US Open. A Quarter-Final would be her first since the 2021 US Open.
Osaka will be kicking herself even more given that she led in the tie and could've won the first set quite comfortably. She was 5-3 up when she noticeably began to change her serve to compensate for obvious discomfort.
Bencic used this to her advantage breaking serve and holding before Osaka took a medical timeout. It went all the way to a tie-break after Bencic had levelled it up and she took it 7-3 after 57 minutes.
Osaka though after this gruelling opener trudged towards her chair before deciding to retire. Bencic signed the camera 'Get well soon, Mama'.
While it is obvious joy for Bencic at winning through, it is slightly marred by Osaka who has shown that she still has her peak level in her continuing to have the issue where it doesn't come out due to injury.
Bencic's next opponent will be decided shortly with Gauff and Fernandez facing off in the second round as the American No.1 faces the former US Open finalist who albeit less so than Raducanu has not recaptured that magic since.
A sad ending to a great contest.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 17, 2025
Naomi Osaka is forced to retire against Bencic.
We wish you a speedy recovery, and we can't wait to see you back on the court soon, Naomi 💙#AusOpen • #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/HeWQA07Jg2
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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