TENNIS
Australian Open: Osaka retires hurt from third-round clash with Bencic
Naomi Osaka's Australian Open campaign came to a premature end as she withdrew from her tie with Belinda Bencic.
Osaka had just lost a first-set tiebreak 7-3 when she retired hurt from her second-round contest on Friday.
It left a capacity crowd at John Cain Arena disappointed, and Bencic had words of support for the two-time Australian Open champion.
"At this moment I really feel for Naomi," she said.
"I saw her struggling a bit at the end of the set. It's not the way you'd like the match to end. It was a good match.
"Hopefully she'll be fine soon and can play well for the rest of the season."
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Osaka beat Caroline Garcia and Karolina Muchova en route to reaching the third round of a major for the first time since 2022.
The 27-year-old had been forced to retire hurt from the final of the Auckland Open on the eve of the season's first grand slam.
Data Debrief: Bencic matches best effort
Bencic has now equalled her best career result at the Australian Open by reaching the last 16.
She has reached the stage twice in the past, losing to Maria Sharapova in 2016 and Aryna Sabalenka in 2023.