Tearful Osaka retires from WTA Finals
Japanese sensation Naomi Osaka´s WTA Finals debut ended in tears on Friday as she was forced to retire against Kiki Bertens, handing the Dutchwoman a surprise spot in the semi-finals.Bertens won the first set 6-3 in 47 minutes at the Singapore Indoor Stadium before US Open champion Osaka, who wiped away tears, forfeited the match.It was a bitterly disappointing end for the 21-year-old, who came into Singapore as the form player but lost three-set matches to Sloane Stephens and Angelique Kerber."I hurt my left hamstring in the first match," Osaka told reporters. "It was just getting worse and worse every time I played. I couldn´t even really practice that well today."But it was enough for Bertens to seal a final four spot in her debut at the season finale, having defeated top seed Kerber earlier in the round-robin phase.Bertens only qualified for the WTA Finals just days before the tournament after world number one Simona Halep withdrew due to injury."It´s never easy or never nice to win a match like this, but it is what it is," Bertens said. "To be at the last four, last tournament of the year, it´s unbelievable."Osaka had started the match brightly, rolling through her service games before being broken in the eighth game.With her upper leg heavily strapped, Osaka called a medical timeout after the eighth game and required treatment in the locker room.She came back on court but dropped her serve to love, culminating in a double fault which turned out to be her last action at the WTA Finals.Kerber plays the unbeaten Stephens in the last round-robin match from Red Group, with the winner joining Bertens in the semi-finals.
from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2ONSUAW
from The News International - Sports https://ift.tt/2ONSUAW
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