The four-time Grand Slam champion is out of her first WTA final in three years after winning the first set of the Auckland Open.
Naomi Osaka has retired from the final of the Auckland Classic with an abdominal injury, a blow to the Japanese star a week before the Australian Open.
Playing in her last WTA final for three years, against Denmark's Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called in the physio after taking the opening set 6-4 and exiting early on Sunday.
Osaka's sudden exit in the Australian Open warm-up came as a surprise after she played flawlessly in the opening 35 minutes, unleashing powerful serves to break her opponent in the third and fifth games.
During the transition, the 27-year-old stood up and did several rounds during the hospital.
After talking with the coach, he shook hands with Tauson, who took the third position and the first since 2021.
Hunter did not say much about what prompted him to withdraw from the court hearing.
However, in a statement, the WTA said she retired “due to an abdominal injury”.
“I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city and I had a lot of fun playing here and I'm very sorry for how it ended,” Osaka said.
“I hope you enjoyed the tennis we played and I'm very happy to be here.”
It was a perfect weekend for Osaka, who is chasing her first title in four years since winning the 2021 Australian Open.
Her last appearance was at the Miami Open the following year, before taking a 15-month break and giving birth to her first child in mid-2023.
He returned to tennis 12 months ago and has risen to 57 in the world rankings.
Osaka arrived in Auckland saying her “great love” of tennis was returning and she was confident of a strong campaign at the first Grand Slam of the year, starting in Melbourne on January 12.