Osaka withdraws from Western & Southern Open final
Osaka's injury meant Belarusian Azarenka won her first title since 2016.
Osaka's injury meant Belarusian Azarenka won her first title since 2016.
Osaka's injury meant Belarusian Azarenka won her first title since 2016.
New York: Japan's Naomi Osaka withdrew from her final against Victoria Azarenka in the Western & Southern Open at Flushing Meadows on Saturday because of a left hamstring injury.
"I'm sorry to have to withdraw today with an injury," Osaka said in a written statement. "I pulled my left hamstring yesterday in the second-set tiebreak and it has not recovered overnight as I had hoped.
"This has been an emotional week and I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support."
The 22-year-old two-time Grand Slam winner defeated Belgium's Elise Mertens on Friday in their semifinal after she had initially said she would not compete in the match in a protest over racial injustice in the United States.
The former US Open champion has a Japanese mother and Haitian father and has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. Her decision came amid similar protests in the NBA and WNBA over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday.
Osaka's injury means Belarusian Azarenka wins her first title since 2016.
The tournament was the final tune-up for the US Open, which starts on Monday.