Osaka withdraws from 2026 Australian Open; Inglis advances to Round of 16

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Four-time Grand Slam and two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the 2026 Australian Open because of a left abdominal injury, per Tennis Australia. Osaka confirmed on social media.

Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis advances via walkover to the Round of 16 and will face Iga Swiatek. 

"It's an injury I've had a couple of times before, and I thought I could push through it," Osaka said to media via Tennis Australia. "I played my last match with some pain, and I thought maybe if I gave myself a break before my match today, I would be able to handle it, but I warmed up, and it got a lot worse.

"I definitely have to do more tests, and obviously I think coming back from pregnancy, my body changed quite a lot. So this is something I have to be really cautious of." 

In her recent match against Sorana Cirstea in the second round, Osaka defeated the veteran in three-sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. After Cirstea forced a third set, Osaka left the court briefly and then took a medical timeout up 2-1 in the third set. 

"It's kind of a reoccurring thing," Osaka said to press Thursday after the match on the timeout. "I guess if you look at my medical history, you can maybe do like a little guessing game."

At the 2025 Australian Open, Osaka retired in her third round match vs. Belinda Bencic because of an abdominal injury. Despite leading 5-2 at one point in the first set, Osaka was in discomfort. The first set ulimately went into a tiebreak, which Bencic won, and Osaka retired from the match.

In Auckland a couple weeks prior at the 2025 ASB Classic, she retired in the final against Clara Tauson after winning the first set because of the same abdominal injury. 

Osaka caught attention of fashion and tennis fans across the globe with her iconic grand entrance ahead of her opening match against Antonia Ruzic, featuring an outfit that included a veil, a parasol and a gigantic, butterfly-emblazoned hat.

"It was nice that everyone enjoyed my outfit, but also, I enjoyed playing the tennis here," Osaka said. "I played two three-set matches, and I felt really physically healthy -- Not my ab, but just fitness-wise, it felt really good."

Inglis meets Swiatek for the second time in her career -- Swiatek won 6-1, 6-3 at the Adelaide International in 2021. Through her three qualifiers and two matches in the main draw, the Aussie has seen 4-of-5 matches go to three sets, even saving two match points in her first qualifier vs. Leyre Romero Gormaz.