Defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from her semi-final on Saturday at a WTA tournament with an abdominal injury, allowing her opponent Veronika Kudermetova to advance to the final on a walkover.
“I had a lot of fun playing here in Melbourne. Unfortunately I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the Australian Open,” Osaka said in a statement issued by Tennis Australia.
“Sad to withdraw due to injury from my match today, my body got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break I took,” Osaka twitted later on Saturday . “I’ll try to rest up and I’ll see you soon!”
The Australian Open begins on January 17. Kudermetova on Sunday will face second-seeded Simona Halep, who beat Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the other semi-final on Saturday in the Summer Set 1 event.
American Amanda Anisimova advanced to her first final since 2019 with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Daria Kasatkina in the Summer Set 2 event at the Rod Laver Arena. Anisimova will play either fellow American Ann Li or Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
Rafa cruises
Top seed Rafael Nadal held off a resurgent Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland on Saturday to earn a 6-4, 7-5 win and book his place in the final of the Melbourne Summer Set 1 ATP 250 event, where he will take on American qualifier Maxime Cressy.
The Spaniard, playing his first competitive tournament since August, was given a stern examination by the dogged Ruusuvuori before coming out unscathed in just under two hours at the Rod Laver Arena.
Both players were solid on serve in the opening exchanges before Nadal’s superior quality shone through as he secured a crucial break in the ninth game, eventually closing out the set with ease.
“It’s an important comeback. Starting another season here in Australia, it means a lot,” said Nadal.
“Of course, I need to do things better on court ... but it’s step-by-step,” he added.
Asked how his body was coping, the 20-times major winner added: “Good. Let’s see tomorrow ... the body is holding well. I need these matches to improve. It’s about being patient and trying my best every single time.”
