Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka played a fantastic match for two sets, but the epilogue was unlucky for the Japanese, who had to retire due to a back injury from the 4th round of the China Open in Beijing. Naomi was also ahead by a set and a break before suffering the comeback of the young American and then retiring.
In a story published on the sidelines of the match, Naomi confided that she had been struggling with her back before the match and, of course, was disappointed to have had to withdraw from the China Open
“Hey everyone, I just wanted to say that I am extremely grateful and happy to have played in Beijing. That said, I have a backstory about today: I had a stiff back in practice earlier and I honestly wasn’t sure if I could play, but I wanted to try. Unfortunately, things got progressively worse during the match. Totally worth it!” she wrote.
In the quarterfinals, Gauff will face outsider Yulia Starodubsteva, number 115 of the WTA ranking, who beat Jannik Sinner’s Russian girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya with a score of 7-5 6-0. Starodubsteva is the seventh player since 2009 to reach at least the quarterfinals in her first participation in a WTA 1000 main draw.
Picking her moment to pounce 🐅@naomiosaka | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/mILfcB5iFg
— wta (@WTA) October 1,…
