Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka has stopped playing because of an injury after dropping the opening set of her third-round match against Belinda Bencic.

Naomi Osaka retired from her Australian Open third round match on Friday. The Japanese tennis star had just lost the opening set to Belinda Bencic via a tiebreak (7-3) before pulling the plug. It marked the first time she had withdrawn from a grand slam tournament match in her career.

Naomi Osaka ’s return to Grand Slam competition ended prematurely on Friday, as the two-time Australian Open champion was forced to retire from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic due to a strained abdominal muscle. Osaka had dropped the opening set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (3), before informing the chair umpire she could no longer continue.

At her peak, the four-time Grand Slam champion played her best tennis in the toughest moments. In Melbourne, she did it again.

Naomi Osaka is back in the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2022 and she got there with wins at the Australian Open over two women who blocked her path last year

A four-time Grand Slam champion, Osaka returned from maternity leave last year and lost in the first or second round of all four major tournaments. The 27-year-old Japan native has not won any event on the WTA Tour since capturing her second Australian Open title to start 2021.

Down 5-0 in the first set, the former No. 1 player beats Karolina Muchova in three sets to make a Grand Slam third round for the first time in three years

In the Australian Open Round of 64 on Tuesday, we have a matchup featuring No. 51-ranked Naomi Osaka versus No. 20 Karolina Muchova.Muchova’s last competition was a win, 6-1, 6-3, over

Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff roll to Australian Open's 4th round. Naomi Osaka retires due to injury and Jessica Pegula was upset in the third round.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Naomi Osaka’s second-round match at the Australian Open could not possibly have started in a worse way. All of 21 minutes in, she sailed a forehand service return well long and, just like that, trailed 5-0. Osaka strode to ...

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka stopped playing because of a strained abdominal muscle after dropping the opening set of her third-round match against ...

After her withdrawal from the Australian Open, the misery of injured superstar Naomi Osaka was compounded upon her return to the U.S. amid sub-zero conditions.