Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of her third-round match against Maddison Inglisdue to a left abdominal injury. The 28-year-old made the decision about two hours before the match at Rod Laver Arena, after warming up and realizing she couldn’t play without risking further damage.
Osaka, who won the Melbourne titles in 2019 and 2021, has struggled with the same injury before, including at last year’s tournament, and is taking a cautious approach after returning to tennis following pregnancy.
Her withdrawal hands a Grand Slam first fourth-round spot to Inglis, ranked 168th, who now faces Poland’s Iga Swiatek for a place in the quarter-finals.
