Naomi Osaka beat Petra Kvitova to win the Australian Open, becoming Asia's first No. 1 ranked player in tennis.

Naomi Osaka ’s return to Grand Slam competition ended prematurely on Friday, as the two-time Australian Open champion was forced to retire from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic due to a strained abdominal muscle. Osaka had dropped the opening set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (3), before informing the chair umpire she could no longer continue.

Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka has stopped playing because of an injury after dropping the opening set of her third-round match against Belinda Bencic.

Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka headline the women's competition, while World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Americans Taylor Fritz

When Osaka struggled to lift her arm during the match, it became clear that she was struggling with another abdominal injury. It all began last Fall during her match against Coco Gauff in the China Open. An MRI revealed a bulged disc in her back and ruptured abdominal muscles.

The 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Karolina Muchova allowed Osaka to reach the third round at a major tournament for the first time since the 2022 season.

Naomi Osaka beat Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 at the Australian Open, reaching the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time since her return from maternity leave.

At her peak, the four-time Grand Slam champion played her best tennis in the toughest moments. In Melbourne, she did it again.

A four-time Grand Slam champion, Osaka returned from maternity leave last year and lost in the first or second round of all four major tournaments. The 27-year-old Japan native has not won any event on the WTA Tour since capturing her second Australian Open title to start 2021.

Naomi Osaka is back in the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2022 and she got there with wins at the Australian Open over two women who blocked her path last year

Down 5-0 in the first set, the former No. 1 player beats Karolina Muchova in three sets to make a Grand Slam third round for the first time in three years

Keys never was able to win at the highest level, but that wasn’t because she wasn’t a modern player. Standing 5 feet, 10 inches, her serve is ferocious, as is her standing forehand. What she gave up to quicker, all-court players, she made up for in firepower and counterpunching. And that’s nothing new.