Tennis

Naomi Osaka forced to retire at Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka overcomes wobbles

Reigning champion battles heat and wind to deny Tauson, while Andreeva, Vekic and Badosa all book spots in round four

Japan's Naomi Osaka leaves the court after retiring due to injury during her women's singles match against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic. Photograph: William West/AFP via Getty Images
Japan's Naomi Osaka leaves the court after retiring due to injury during her women's singles match against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic. Photograph: William West/AFP via Getty Images
Fri Jan 17 2025 - 09:47

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic advanced to the last 16 of the Australian Open after two-time champion Naomi Osaka retired during Friday’s third-round match with an injury.

Bencic took the first set in a tie-break 7-6(3) before Japan’s Osaka, who had also pulled out of the Auckland final earlier this month due to an abdominal injury, withdrew from the contest. Osaka led 5-2 in the opening set but showed signs of struggles with her abdomen and called for a physio during a changeover. The 27-year-old initially soldiered on after treatment before eventually retiring.

“I really feel for Naomi, I saw her struggling a little bit at the end of the set and obviously it’s not the way you would like this match to end,” Bencic said. “I thought it was a good match so hopefully she’ll be fine soon and she can play well for the rest of the season.”

Bencic will play third seed Coco Gauff in the next round after the former US Open champion beat Leylah Fernandez in straight sets.

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Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka overcame a wobbly display to reach the fourth round as warm and windy weather tested the composure of players. The opening match on Rod Laver Arena during the sixth day of the championships was hardly vintage tennis, but Sabalenka came away unscathed after a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory over Clara Tauson amid blazing sunshine and intermittent gusts.

“That was a great battle, she played unbelievable tennis,” said three-times grand slam champion Sabalenka. “I was playing this match thinking: ‘Girl, you’re really tough.’ So many times, I thought ‘I’m done’, but I was like, ‘keep pushing’.”

Sabalenka has been far from her devastating best in the first two rounds and against Tauson she dropped serve four times in a shaky opening set, but her opponent was equally profligate as both players struggled for rhythm. “Conditions are really tough for serving, the balls are heavy and the surface slow,” said Sabalenka, who conceded four breaks in the opening set of a match for the first time since San Diego in 2022. “It was really important to get all of those breaks back. I’m super happy I was able to close this match.”

The first hold in the eighth game was greeted with a big round of applause as world No 42 Tauson surged ahead 5-3, but Sabalenka roared back. The top seed steadied on her own delivery and then drew level at 5-5 before Tauson recovered to save four set points and force a tie-break, where she matched the big-hitting Belarusian punch for punch in the first 10 points. Sabalenka shifted up a gear, however, and earned a set point with a stinging backhand winner before closing it out with a big forehand to leave Auckland champion Tauson a tad deflated after 63 minutes of toil.

The Dane gifted her opponent a break early in the next set but continued to carve out chances and made it to 4-4, only to fade away after a marathon game that had seven deuces as the momentum shifted one last time. Sabalenka held her nerve on serve to seal a 17th straight win at the Australian Open and keep alive her quest to become the first woman to lift three successive titles there since Martina Hingis from 1997-99. Up next for Sabalenka is a meeting with Mirra Andreeva after the 17-year-old Russian moved past Magdalena Frech 6-2, 1-6, 6-2.

Olympic runner-up Donna Vekic needed three sets to beat the Russian 12th seed Diana Shnaider, the Croatian prevailing 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 7-5 after almost three hours on Margaret Court Arena and she immediately looked forward to an ice bath. “It was tough, it was pretty warm and she was playing unbelievable tennis,” Vekic said. “In my next life I want to be a lefty [like Shnaider]. I don’t know the last time I beat a lefty. Now, the ice bath is waiting for me.”

Paula Badosa was given a test at a blustery Kia Arena and at one point offered her racket to her coach in the stands, asking him to take over, before finding her focus to get past Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.