Naomi Osaka’s WTA finals debut ended in tears as she was forced to retire against Kiki Bertens which promised the Dutchwoman a surprise spot in the semifinals.
It was a disappointing end for Osaka who had a whirlwind of time after beating Serena Williams in the US Open finals. The title cemented her confidence but she had a hard time on the Singapore Indoor Stadium’s hard court, which played much slower than she expected.
She came to Singapore as the in-form player but lost three matches to Sloane Stephens and Angelique Kerber earlier and bid farewell to Singapore as Bertens who won the first set 6-3 in 47 minutes.
Osaka had begun the match well, rolling through her service games before being broken at the eighth game. She called for a medical timeout and required treatment in the locker room.
Osaka said to the reporters, ”I hurt my left hamstring in the first match”.
“I was getting worse and worse every time and I couldn’t even practice well today”
Since her victory at the Flushing Meadows, Osaka became a sensation in her homeland, Japan. With her season over now, she will head home to Florida for the first time in months.
“I was told I shouldn’t do much, I should just rest for few weeks”.
