Naomi Osaka has officially withdrawn from the Australian Open ahead of her scheduled third-round match. This granted a walkover to Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis, who now advances to the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
A few hours before their match were scheduled on Saturday night, two-time AO champion Osaka announced her withdrawal due to a physical issue.
The 28-year-old wrote on her Instagram story, “I have to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match.”
Osaka expressed her excitement about her progress, stating that this run meant the most. She added, “Having to stop here breaks my heart but I can’t risk doing any further damage so I can get back on the court soon.”
The West Australian will face either world No.2 lga Swiatek or 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya in the fourth round on Monday.
As one of only two qualifiers to reach the last 32, Inglis spent a grueling 13 hours and 24 minutes over 14 sets just to reach the third round.
Following Osaka's withdrawal, she will avoid having to log further court time on Saturday night. The major blow to the tournament marks the first time champion’s career that she has withdrawn in this manner.