NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Western & Southern Open final Saturday because of a left hamstring injury, giving the title to Victoria Azarenka in a walkover.
The tournament announced Osaka’s decision about 90 minutes before the championship match was supposed to begin in Louis Armstrong Stadium at the site of the U.S. Open.
The Western & Southern Open normally is held in Ohio but was moved to New York this year because of the coronavirus pandemic as part of a two-tournament “controlled environment.”
The U.S. Open starts Monday. One of Osaka’s two Grand Slam titles came at Flushing Meadows in 2018.