As the tennis season approaches its conclusion, injuries and withdrawals are becoming more common, notably affecting some of the top players. The Kinoshita Group Japan Open, a WTA 500 event, saw Naomi Osaka withdraw from her quarter-final match due to a leg injury. This decision has allowed Romanian Jacqueline Cristian to advance to the semi-finals.
Osaka’s injury woes began during her second-round match against Suzan Lamens, the reigning champion from the Netherlands, where she struggled to perform due to a left leg injury. After a hard-fought three-set match, Osaka, who celebrated her 28th birthday this week, was visibly emotional and even required medical attention post-match. “We regret to announce that Naomi Osaka has not recovered from a left leg injury and has withdrawn from the quarter-finals scheduled for today,” tournament officials confirmed on X.
This development leaves Leylah Fernandez, the 4th seed from Canada, as the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament. As Osaka steps away from the competition, she will maintain her position at No. 16 in the WTA rankings. Meanwhile, Fernandez continues to showcase resilience, having advanced to the semi-finals with a victory over Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia. The match, lasting one hour and 34 minutes, ended in a score of 7-6(2), 6-3.
Reflecting on her match, Fernandez expressed how crucial it was to regain momentum after falling behind. “When I was able to break back in the first set, that gave me momentum going into the tiebreaker,” she noted. Her performance on serve was impressive, landing 68% of her first serves and winning 67% of those points in the opening set. Overall, she managed to win just three more points than Sramkova—52 to 49—indicating the match’s competitive nature.
Fernandez’s upcoming challenge will be against Sorana Cirstea, who has reached her third tour-level semi-final of the season after defeating Viktorija Golubic from Switzerland in a closely contested quarter-final, ending with a scoreline of 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.
In the other semi-final matchup, Cristian is set to play 18-year-old Tereza Valentova, who made headlines by defeating the No. 6 seed, Olga Danilovic, in a comeback victory. Valentova, who has had a remarkable year, will be looking for further success after already claiming her spot in two semi-finals in her first four main draw events, a testament to her rapidly ascending career.
With the Kinoshita Group Japan Open heading towards its final stages, fans remain eager to see which players will ultimately seize the opportunity to claim the title, especially with several top seeds making early exits. The semi-finals promise to be thrilling as the remaining competitors vie for a place in the final.
