Osaka

Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Japan Open before Friday’s quarter-final because of a leg injury sustained in the second round.

The former world number one held back tears and needed painkillers to come through a three-set last-16 win over defending champion Suzan Lamens on Wednesday.

Top seed Osaka, who completed the match with strapping on her left thigh, was due to face Jaqueline Cristian in the last eight but the Romanian will instead progress to the semi-finals.

The Japan Open made the announcement on X, saying: “We regret to announce that Naomi Osaka has not recovered from a left leg injury sustained during the second round of this tournament and has withdrawn from the quarter-finals scheduled for today.”

It is not yet known whether Osaka will play in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo later this month.

The four-time Grand Slam champion is the latest high-profile player to suffer late-season injury issues.

In September, Iga Swiatek complained the season is “too long and too intense” following a string of injuries among players at the China Open.

British number one Emma Raducanu called time on her season on Thursday after retiring from her two previous matches with illness.

Australia’s Daria Kasatkina, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Spain’s Paula Badosa also ended their seasons early in recent weeks.

Across two tournaments in China last week, five players retired injured.

Reigning champ Aryna Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula while Amanda Anisimova upset Naomi Osaka to make first US Open final.

Amanda Anisimova rallied from a set down to defeat four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-7(4) 7-6(3) 6-3 and reach the US Open final, where she will take on holder Aryna Sabalenka for another shot at a maiden major crown.

“Oh my God. It means the world,” the 24-year-old said on Thursday after reaching her first final at Flushing Meadows.

“I’m trying to process that right now. It’s absolutely a dream come true. This has been a dream of mine like forever to be in the US. Open final and the hope is to be the champion.”

Twice US Open champion Osaka was playing in her first major semifinal since 2021 and embraced the big occasion in the prime-time glare of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The pair twice traded breaks in a tight opening set, and after a delayed line call by the automated system disrupted play, Osaka refocused and let out a big roar when Anisimova hit a shot into the net on set point in the tiebreak.

The 23rd seed struggled to carry the momentum forward in the next set, however, with Anisimova matching Osaka’s intensity.

After the players traded ferocious hits for 12 games in the next set, Anisimova pounced in the tiebreak to drag the match to a decider.

The eighth seed, who lost 6-0 6-0 to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final two months ago, surged ahead 4-1 thanks to a forehand winner and held her nerve from there to close out the victory and reach back-to-back Grand Slam finals.

“She was really giving me a run for the final. I wasn’t sure I would make it past the finish line. I tried to dig deep. It was a huge fight out there,” Anisimova added.

“I tried to stay positive. There was a lot of nerves in the beginning and that’s something I’m trying to work on. Yeah, this tournament means so much to me that I think that was really getting to me.

“In the end, you’re just trying to fight your way through. I’m trying to enjoy the moment. We were both playing amazing tennis, and sometimes that was like ‘how are we making these shots?’ but we were and we just kept going.”

Sabalenka keeps back-to-back dream alive

Reigning champion Sabalenka came from behind to beat American fourth seed Jessica Pegula in three sets to return to the US Open final.

World number one Sabalenka overcame Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a rerun of last year’s final.

It’s the Belarusian’s third successive appearance in the Flushing Meadows final.

“It was a really tough match – she played incredible tennis as always and I had to work really hard to get this win,” said Sabalenka.

“Just super happy to be back in the final and hopefully I can go all the way again.”

Sabalenka, 27, is seeking to become the first player to win consecutive singles titles in New York since Serena Williams won three in a row from 2012-2014.

She has now made the final at four of the last five Grand Slams but has not added to her haul of three majors since winning the 2024 US Open.

“I’ll go out there on Saturday and I’ll fight for every point like the last point of my life,” she said.

Osaka returns to semis for the first time since 2020, while Amanda Anisimova gets Wimbledon revenge against Iga Swiatek.

Naomi Osaka returned to the US Open semifinals on Wednesday with a 6-4 7-6(3) win over Karolina Muchova, as the four-time Grand Slam champion delivered a battling display to underline her resurgence on the sport’s biggest stage.

Four years after winning the last of her four major titles, the Japanese 23rd seed, who returned last season after a lengthy maternity break, stretched her unbeaten streak in major quarterfinals to 5-0 and booked a clash with Amanda Anisimova on Friday.

“It means so much. I’m surprised I’m not crying,” said Osaka, who only two years ago was watching the semifinals from the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I was sitting up there watching and hoping I would have an opportunity to play on this court again, so my dreams are coming true … There’s been so much hard work you guys haven’t seen.

“I’m just grateful to my team. Hopefully, you guys will come and watch my next round.”

Muchova, who had been on court for more than 10 hours over four draining rounds, took treatment in the locker room for an apparent left leg issue after she dropped a tight opening set, but came out firing to break at the start of the next.

She struggled to move at times with heavy strapping on her thigh, but continued to frustrate her opponent with her inventive brand of tennis to break for a 5-4 lead, only for Osaka to wrest back the initiative and go through after the tiebreak.

“It was an incredibly difficult match,” Osaka added.

“She is one of the best players in the world. Every time I play against her, it’s so difficult.

“Last year, she beat me when I had one of my best outfits. I was really upset. I’m just grateful to be here.”

Anisimova avenges Wimbledon embarrassment

Anisimova flipped the script earlier on Wednesday, ousting second seed Iga Swiatek 6-4 6-3 to reach her first US Open semifinal and exact revenge for one of the most brutal defeats in Grand Slam history.

Less than two months after suffering a devastating 6-0 6-0 loss to Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, the American eighth seed won 67 of 121 points to complete the turnaround in 96 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Playing here is so freaking special,” Anisimova said in her on-court interview. “I’ve been having the run of my life here … Today proved everything for me. I can do it.”

The 24-year-old’s transformation from July’s tears to Wednesday’s triumph epitomises tennis’s capacity for redemption.

After watching back the painful Wimbledon footage on Tuesday night, Anisimova admitted she was “slow as hell” in that final but approached this rematch with renewed purpose.

“Today is definitely the most meaningful victory I’ve had in my life,” she told reporters. “I really came out there with, like, not an ounce of fear … I was constantly moving and trying to get myself going.”

Swiatek acknowledged that her opponent’s aggressive return game proved decisive.

“I couldn’t win today’s match playing like that, serving like that, and with Amanda being so aggressive on the returns,” the six-time Grand Slam champion told reporters.

The American dominated on return, converting four of nine break opportunities while Swiatek managed just two breaks from four chances, ending her bid for a seventh Grand Slam title and second US Open crown in the quarterfinals for the second straight year.

The American’s journey from Wimbledon devastation to US Open breakthrough serves as a powerful reminder that in tennis, the greatest comebacks often follow the most crushing defeats.

Should Osaka defeat Anisimova, she will become the first player to reach a Grand Slam final after becoming a mother since Victoria Azarenka made the 2020 US Open showpiece, which Osaka won.

And if the four-time major winner goes all the way in New York, she will be the first player since Kim Clijsters (in 2009, 2010 and 2011) to have won a Slam after giving birth.

Having struggled to put a dent in Muchova’s serve earlier in the first set, Osaka pounced decisively at 5-4 – going 0-40 up and closing out the opener at the second time of asking.

Muchova, who began grimacing because of an issue with her left leg in the sixth game, called for the trainer and received medical attention off court.

She returned with heavy strapping on her thigh, but it didn’t seem to hinder her tennis as she opened the second set with an early break.

Osaka struck back immediately, however, and there was little to separate the pair until a frustrated Osaka conceded serve at 4-4 with a series of unforced errors.

But, as Muchova stepped up to serve and force a deciding set, Osaka regained her composure and bounced back aggressively, breaking to love to level the set.

She took control in the tie-break, opening up a 4-1 lead which proved enough for her to wrap up the victory with a beaming smile.

“It was an incredibly difficult match,” Osaka added in her on-court interview. “She’s one of the best players in the world – every time I play her it’s so difficult.

She joked: “Last year she beat me here when I had one of my best outfits, so I was really upset.”

This manifested through her forehand – another area where she has struggled to find consistency over the years – while her serve held up well.

Eleven unforced errors from the forehand took the first set away from her. Framing a return from that wing also proved pivotal in the second set.

The mishit brought up two more break opportunities for Osaka at 3-2, with Gauff’s more-reliable backhand letting her down on the first point indicated the pressure she was feeling.

For much of the match, it felt like a virtually-capacity 25,000 crowd were slightly conflicted in their support of two hugely popular players.

Gauff led the home challenge in terms of seeding and superstar status, but Osaka – despite representing Japan – grew up in the Queens borough of New York City where the tournament is held.

Both women have also endeared themselves to fans by eloquently using their voices to shine light on social issues including racism.

Sensing the younger player needed them more, the crowd tried to rally Gauff as she stared at defeat, but she was unable to recover and exited at the fourth-round stage for the second straight year.

“I felt so discombobulated on the court, because I was serving well but not returning well. The last two years, everybody can agree that’s like a weird thought,” said Gauff.

“I think there’s a lot of positives to take from this tournament and I’m trying to be positive.

“I promise you that, I don’t feel that way right now, but I am not going to let this crush me.”

After beginning the season with a 22-match unbeaten run on the second-tier ITF Tour, Mboko has shown over the past two weeks that she can mix it with the elite – beating Grand Slam winners Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina and Osaka.

It’s validation of hard work from the age of three, and for parents who landed in a very different United States in 1999 – one which provided solace from political unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But it’s in Toronto where Mboko – who was born in Charlotte in the US – was inspired to play tennis.

“I remember going there as a kid and watching all the great players playing,” Mboko told the Women’s Tennis Association.

“We were watching a lot of Serena and Venus [Williams], and that’s where I took a lot of inspiration, because Serena was literally the greatest of all time. I used to see how the pros are and I used to be in so much awe of them. And now I’m seeing them like right beside me.”

Mboko’s coach Nathalie Tauziat – a former world number three and Wimbledon finalist in the 1998 – has overseen Mboko’s remarkable form after previously guiding her in the junior ranks.

“I think what is important for her is to see us not panic when something happens. I remember at the beginning of the year, she always told me: ‘Oh, you’re so calm during the match,” Tauziat said.

“The US Open is the objective – who knows, maybe she can do something good? Here, we are going match by match, and hoping for no injury.”

Teenager Victoria Mboko will face Naomi Osaka in the final of the Canadian Open after defying the odds to upset former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.

The 18-year-old Canadian, ranked 85th in the world, lost the first set and saved a match point in the second before going on to seal a 1-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4) victory in Montreal.

Mboko, a wildcard entry for the tournament, will face former world number one Osaka on Thursday in her first WTA 1000 final.

“I had everyone supporting me and pushing me through,” said Mboko.

“Without you guys, I don’t think I would’ve been able to pull this through.”

The Canadian, who is set to move into the top 50 in the rankings when they are updated next week, has already beaten Coco Gauff and Sofia Kenin on her remarkable run to the final.

She started the year ranked 333rd in the world but opened the season with a stunning 22-match winning streak.

Osaka stands in her way of a famous victory, following the Japanese’s 6-2 7-6 (9-7) win against Danish 16th seed Clara Tauson.

Naomi Osaka lost just one game as she outplayed Anastasija Sevastova to reach the Canadian Open quarter-finals in Montreal.

The four-time Grand Slam champion took just 49 minutes to wrap up a 6-1 6-0 victory against the 35-year-old Latvian, who had knocked out defending champion Jessica Pegula in the previous round.

Japan’s Osaka, a winner twice at the US and Australian Opens, is seeking her first title since returning from maternity leave early in 2024.

The 27-year-old parted with coach Patrick Mouratoglou after less than a year and is now working with Poland’s Tomasz Wiktorowski, former coach of Iga Swiatek.

“I had a solid plan coming in here and it just happened to work out pretty well,” said Osaka, currently ranked 49 in the world.

American Madison Keys had to fight back to beat Czech Karolina Muchova 4-6 6-3 7-5 in two hours and 20 minutes.

American Pegula has an excellent record in Canada – she was on an 11-match winning run in Montreal.

But she was shocked by world number 386 Sevastova who, like Osaka, returned from maternity leave in early 2024.

This was the 35-year-old’s first win over an opponent ranked in the WTA top five since beating Karolina Pliskova in 2017.

There was no hint of an upset when Pegula broke her in the opening game and again to love to claim the first set.

But a forehand winner earned Sevastova a break for a 5-4 lead in the second set and she denied Pegula three chances to break for a crucial hold to force a decider.

And when Pegula sent a down-the-line forehand wide to surrender a break and hand Sevastova a 2-1 lead, the Latvian did not let the momentum go.

She swept up the remaining games, including two further breaks, to claim a remarkable win in one hour and 41 minutes.

“It was a weird match for me,” said Pegula. “I felt like I had total control and then I just played a couple of terrible games for, like three games.

“That totally flipped the momentum of the match, and I went from being up a set and 2-0 to being down very quickly.

“I don’t really feel like I’m playing great tennis. At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don’t like. I’ve got to figure it out.”

Britain’s Emma Raducanu is through to the quarter-finals of the women’s singles at the Washington Open after beating four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in straight sets.

After previously upsetting Ukrainian seventh seed Marta Kostyuk in round one, the 22-year-old produced a dominant performance to overcome former world number one Osaka 6-4 6-2.

The 2021 US Open women’s singles champion will face wildcard Maria Sakkari in the last eight after the Greek player knocked out American second seed Emma Navarro.

Raducanu, who will replace Katie Boulter as British number one when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday, is also through to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles.

She and partner Elena Rybakina overcame Giuliana Olmos and Aldila Sutjiadi 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to set up a last-four meeting with second seeds Shuai Zhang and Taylor Townsend.

However, in the men’s singles, Britons Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans were eliminated in the last 16.

British number two Norrie lost to 14th seed Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

After a tight first set was decided by a tie-break, American Nakashima twice broke Norrie’s serve in the second to reach the quarter-finals.

Evans, who won the tournament in 2023, fought back from 5-3 down and saved a match point to force a tie-break in the second set against Corentin Moutet but the Frenchman prevailed in straight sets, winning 6-2 7-6 (7-4).