Naomi Osaka retires from match with apparent knee injury 2 weeks before U.S. Open

Jason Owens
·Staff writer
Updated
Naomi Osaka retired with a knee injury two weeks prior to the start of the U.S. Open. (Getty)
Naomi Osaka retired with a knee injury two weeks prior to the start of the U.S. Open. (Getty)

Naomi Osaka retired from her quarterfinal match at the Cincinnati Masters against Sofia Kenin Friday with an apparent left knee injury.

The injury occurred less than two weeks before the start of the U.S. Open, where Osaka is the defending champion.

Osaka had just rallied from losing the first set with a 6-1 victory in the second set to force a decisive third. Kenin took a 1-0 lead in the third when Osaka, who was reportedly flexing her left leg throughout the match, sat down to change her shoes.

Heavy tape on Osaka’s knee

With the second game of the set tied at 40-40, Osaka stopped play to receive treatment on her left knee, which trainers taped up.

U.S. Open status unclear

After several minutes, Osaka returned to finish the game that Kenin won before deciding to retire from the match.

Kenin advances to the semifinals with the 6-4, 1-6, 2-0 ret. victory where she will face either Venus Williams or Madison Keys.

The nature of Osaka’s injury is unclear, as is how it will affect her status for the upcoming U.S. Open.

Osaka said after the match that she’s never felt pain that before and that she hasn’t yet received a medical explanation. She’s hopeful of playing in the U.S. Open.

"Last year I won the U.S. Open, and this year I'm trying to play the U.S. Open."

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