Naomi Osaka withdraws ahead of Gippsland Trophy semi-final vs. Mertens
WTASaturday, 06 February 2021 at 06:40
The 2nd seed Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Gippsland Trophy on Saturday before the semi-final clash with Elise Mertens, sending the Belgian into the final without a fight.
In the trophy battle, Mertens will play the unseeded Kaia Kanepi on Sunday. Kanepi took down Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets to advance into her first WTA final since 2013.
Osaka defeated Irina-Camelia Begu 7-5, 6-1 in an hour and 16 minutes in the quarter-final. The Japanese fired seven aces and fended off two of three break chances to mount the pressure on her opponent. Struggling on the second serve, Begu lost serve four times, fighting hard in the opener before losing ground in set number two to push Osaka over the top. Osaka plays against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the Australian Open first round.
"Sorry to Tennis Australia and the fans to have to withdraw today. I have a niggling injury, and in light of the Australian Open on the horizon, I need to be cautious. I look forward to competing next week," Naomi Osaka said.
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mandoist03-11-2024 - Players need to STOP TRYING TO JUSTIFY THEIR INCLUSION! They are not ambassadors for women in Saudi Arabia, they are not politicians, and they will never make a difference for females in that 'culture'. This little tennis "tournament" changes nothing. Players were lured by the money, opted to participate, and should just keep their predictable excuses and Women's Freedom Fairy Tales to themselves. Period. Like most things in Life -- one cannot make an argument against the Saudi Regime and, at the same time, triple your bank account with their "gifts".mandoist03-11-2024
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