Abdominal injury derails Naomi Osaka again, retires down a set to Belinda Bencic at Australian Open

The abdominal injury that caused Naomi Osaka to retire from the Auckland final with a one-set lead over Clara Tauson less than two weeks ago struck again Friday, forcing the four-time major champion to cut a promising Australian Open short.

Appearing with discomfort late in the first set of her third-round encounter with Belinda Bencic, most visibly on a reduced service motion, Osaka stopped the match after dropping an opening tiebreak, 7-6 (3). The two-time Melbourne title holder was visited by the medical staff after she battled through pain to hold for 6-5.

"Honestly I kind of have a history of it since I was a teenager. At least once a year I'd get an ab strain, and it's usually during Stuttgart, so shoutout to Stuttgart," Osaka said with a laugh in press.

"Unfortunately, it carried on to the beginning of this season, but hopefully I can get it together in time for the U.S. swing."

Bencic, playing her first major since giving birth to daughter Bella last April, equaled her best prior showing here—having also advanced to the round of 16 in 2016 and 2023.

"At this moment, I just feel for Naomi. I saw her struggling a little bit in the end of the set," Bencic expressed when interviewed inside John Cain Arena. "Obviously it's not the way you would like that match to end."

The 27-year-old was facing Osaka for the first time since losing to the Japanese superstar in the 2022 Miami Open semifinals and dedicated a message to her fellow tour mom when signing the on-court camera. "Get well soon mama," wrote Bencic with a heart.

Osaka had come through a tough section of the draw that saw her avenge two of her 2024 major losses. She flipped the script on Caroline Garcia in a rematch of their opener Down Under, before rallying past Karolina Muchova afer falling to the Czech in the second round of last year’s US Open.

For Bencic, an exciting fourth-round clash awaits. The Tokyo Olympic champion gets the winner of world No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 30 seed Leylah Fernandez.