Coco Gauff helps Naomi Osaka move the Japanese

“It was a good match until she withdrew. I sincerely wish her a speedy recovery. No one wants to win a match like that, especially when you’re playing an even set. Overall, I did my best. It wasn’t my best tennis.”

Coco Gauff beat Naomi Osaka in straight sets, taking advantage of the Japanese’s withdrawal at the end of the second set. The match was completely even: Naomi had won the first set and had a break in the second, before getting the comeback from the young American. But there was no third and deciding set, as Osaka chose to withdraw pre-emptively due to a back problem suffered before the 4th round of the China Open against Gauff.

Coco thrilled the crowd at the China Open with a nice gesture, helping Osaka off the field after the Japanese player withdrew. The American seemed genuinely remorseful when Naomi approached her to tell her the decision. Gauff wanted to help her opponent with the bags, while Osaka said, “Really?”

After much persuasion, Coco managed to convince Naomi, grabbed her racket bag and walked her off the court to ease the burden on her already injured back. A beautiful scene, which you can watch in the video below, shared by the WTA

Offer a helping hand 💜@CocoGauff helps her opponent off the field after Naomi Osaka is forced to retire due to a lower back injury.

Gauff advances to the #ChinaOpen quarter-finals with the score 3-6, 6-4, RET. pic.twitter.com/ahm3pavauj

— wta (@WTA) October 1, 2024

After the match, Naomi explained the reason for her withdrawal via Instagram stories: “I just wanted to say that I am extremely grateful and happy to have played in Beijing. I have a backstory about today: I had a back problem during training .before and I honestly wasn’t sure if I could play, but I wanted to try. Unfortunately, it got worse as the match went on.’