Belinda Bencic sends message of concern to Naomi Osaka after Japanese's Australian Open 3R mid-match retirement
Belinda Bencic expressed concern for Naomi Osaka after the Japanese retired from their third-round match at the 2025 Australian Open on Friday, January 17. The clash between Belinda Bencic and Naomi Osaka saw the Swiss take the first set 7-6(3) before the latter retired due to injury, ending the match prematurely.
Naomi Osaka kicked off her campaign at the Melbourne Major with a win over Caroline Garcia in the first round, followed by a comeback win against 20th seed Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the second round.
Meanwhile, Belinda Bencic used a protected ranking to secure her place in the main draw of the Australian Open. She defeated 16th seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 7-6(6), and Suzan Lamens to set up a clash with Osaka.
Following their abrupt end to the match, Bencic expressed her sympathy for her Japanese opponent and wished her a speedy recovery.
“At this moment I really feel for Naomi. Of course I saw her struggling a little bit at the end of the set. Obviously it’s not the way you’d like this match to end. I thought it was a getting to be a good match. Hopefully she’ll be fine soon and she can play well for the rest of the season,” Bencic said.
Before leaving the court, Bencic also signed the camera for Osaka with a heartfelt message, "Get well soon, Mama."
Before beginning her campaign at the Melbourne Slam, Naomi Osaka finished as the runner-up at the ASB Classic after retiring in her championship match against Clara Tauson.
Meanwhile, Bencic had represented Switzerland at the United Cup and then competed at the Adelaide International, where she reached the second round before falling to Liudmila Samsonova.
Belinda Bencic will face Coco Gauff or Leylah Fernandez in Australian Open 2025 4R
![Belinda Bencic at the 2025 Australian Open [Image Source: Getty Images]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/01/0c3ca-17371012024482-1920.jpg?w=500)
Belinda Bencic will take on either third seed Coco Gauff or 30th seed Leylah Fernandez in the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open on Sunday, January 19.
Bencic and Gauff have met twice on the WTA Tour, with their head-to-head even at 1-1. Their most recent encounter was in the 2023 Mubadala Citi DC Open quarterfinals, where the American secured a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 win. At this year's Australian Open, Coco Gauff, seeded third, defeated Sofia Kenin and Jodie Burrage to set up her third-round match against Leylah Fernandez.
On the other hand, Belinda Bencic and Leylah Fernandez have faced each other five times on the tour, with their head-to-head reading 3-2 in favor of the Swiss. Their most recent meeting was in the second round of the 2023 Miami Open, which Bencic won 6-1,6-1.
In this year's Australian Open, Leylah Fernandez defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva, 7-5, 6-4 in the first round before overcoming Cristina Bucsa 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round to set up a clash with the 2023 US Open winner, Coco Gauff.