Up a set, Naomi Osaka retires from Auckland final against Clara Tauson due to abdominal injury

Naomi Osaka's preparation for the upcoming Australian Open were set back on Sunday after she was forced to reitre from the championship match at the ASB Classic against Clara Tauson due to an abdominal injury.

In what Tennis Channel announcer Chanda Rubin dubbed a "most unusual conclusion" to the WTA 250-level event in Auckland, New Zealand, the former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion was leading Tauson 6-4 when she could no longer continue.

Playing first-strike tennis and dominating in the early stages, Osaka raced out to a 5-1 lead agianst the fifth-seeded Dane, who herself was contesting her first tour-level singles final since 2021. As Tauson found her range, Osaka lost three straight games before steadying to serve out the opening set on her second set point, though less power was evident on her serve.

At the set break, a visibly distraught Osaka was visited by the tournament physio, and after an immediate medical timeout, she retired.

It was the second injury-related retirement for Osaka in as many tournaments. She suffered a back injury at the China Open in October, retiring against Coco Gauff in the round of 16, and that problem put a premature end to her 2024 comeback from maternity leave.

"I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city," Osaka said post-match, having last played in Auckland in 2017. "I had a lot of fun playing here, and I'm really sorry about how it ended. I hope you enjoyed the tennis that we did play, and I'm just really grateful to be here."

Playing her first final since 2022, a resurgent Osaka was bidding for her first title since the 2021 Australian Open, and lost just one set in four victories en route to the championship match, though Tauson was the first seeded player she faced in the event. Instead, the abridged affair handed the 22-year-old Dane the third tour-level singles title of her career.

On Saturday, Tauson played six sets of tennis after rain delayed two of the event's four singles quarterfinals from Friday. She beat No. 1 seed Madison Keys in the quarterfinals and former US Open junior champion Robin Montgomery in the semifinals, and also lost a doubles semifinal with Sloane Stephens.

She had previously saved a match point in beating 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the second round.

"I have to say that I'm really sorry about this final," Tauson said. "Naomi was playing some great tennis today, so that was the worst final I ever played, for me, emotionally.

"I can't feel happy, and I'm just sad about what happened today, but of course, when I process this, I'm going to be super happy about this week. I played a lot of tennis on this court. I'm happy that I won, but not really."

The Australian Open begins on Jan. 12.