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 It marked the first time she had withdrawn from a grand slam tournament match in her career.

The abdominal injury that caused Naomi Osaka to retire from the Auckland final with a one-set lead over Clara Tauson less than two weeks ago struck again Friday, forcing the four-time major champion to cut a promising Australian Open short.

A persistent abdominal injury started troubling Osaka during the first set of her match on Friday, with the 27-year-old calling for medical attention when up 6-5. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Naomi Osaka forced to retire hurt at Australian Open. She played on until the end of the first set tiebreaker, which Bencic won, before calling it quits.

Naomi Osakas Australian Open campaign came to a premature end as she withdrew from her tie with Belinda Bencic.

Naomi Osaka withdrew from match against Belinda Bencic after her pain became unbearable in third round.On Friday at John Cain Arena, Melbourne the four-time Grand Slam champion was leading the opening set with 5-2 but started struggling

Sabalenka's fourth-round challenge will be the 14th seed Mirra Andreeva, who she leads 3-1 in head-to-head record. Andreeva secured her first win against Sabalenka at the French Open quarterfinals last year.

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.

A "very hot-headed" Novak Djokovic produced a vintage display to join Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open last 16 on Friday, but Naomi Osaka's bid for a

A lingering abdominal injury first sidelined her in October at a Beijing tournament match against Coco Gauff. She reached the finals of the 2025 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand earlier this month, but retired during her match against Clara Tauson. Osaka says abdominal injuries are nothing new.

When Osaka struggled to lift her arm during the match, it became clear that she was struggling with another abdominal injury. It all began last Fall during her match against Coco Gauff in the China Open. An MRI revealed a bulged disc in her back and ruptured abdominal muscles.

Naomi Osaka's run at the 2025 Australian Open came to an end in the third round due to an injury. The two-time Aussie Open champ suffered a strained