Fatigued Naomi Osaka pulls out of Cincinnati ahead of US Open

[p]The four-time Grand Slam champion from Japan had been on a run of hardcourt form, reaching the Washington semi-finals and the last eight at the ongoing WTA 1000 event in Toronto.[/p][p]As the 11th seed, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/osaka-naomi/MDM4BKiA/"]Osaka[/a] would have had a first-round bye, but said she was just not prepared to play.[/p][p]"[b]I’m really sad to have to withdraw from Cincinnati this year due to fatigue[/b]," Osaka said in a statement. "[b]I love playing here and am looking forward to coming back and competing in Cincinnati next year[/b]."[/p][image alt="Osaka recently lost in the quarter-finals of Toronto" id="54201fd4-0e27-4490-9865-b24087ec3c04" credit-line="Vasiliy Ryabykh / Zuma Press / Profimedia" guid="93fb779f-fe61-4bb1-99db-4635b0e48b94" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]It was her second consecutive withdrawal at Cincinnati. She pulled out last year, blaming a change of schedule.[/p][p]The 28-year-old last competed in Cincinnati in 2024, when she lost in qualifying rounds as she made a comeback after giving birth.[/p][p]She finished runner-up at the 2020 edition to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/azarenka-victoria/neAp94aO/"]Victoria Azarenka[/a].[/p]