Belinda Bencic says when she realised something was 'not right' with Naomi Osaka during their Australian Open match

Belinda Bencic reached the Australian Open fourth round but not in the way she would have hoped.

The 27-year-old is into the last 16 at Melbourne Park just nine months after giving birth to her daughter Bella.

This is Bencic’s first Grand Slam since becoming a mother, but she booked the spot in the next round in unfortunate circumstances.

She took on fellow mother and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, who struggled with injury during their contest.

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What did Belinda Bencic say to Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open?

Belinda Bencic and Osaka faced each other for the sixth time in their careers at the Australian Open.

Osaka had been playing better tennis and opened up a 5-3 lead, but Bencic produced an impressive return game to break back and proceeded to go up 5-6.

In the latter half of the first set Osaka began to feel some discomfort which affected her serve speed.

Multiple errors flowed from the Japanese player’s racket in the tiebreak and after coming out on the losing side, Osaka decided she could no longer continue and retired from the contest.

Post-match Bencic wrote “get well soon mama” on the camera, and said during her interview: “It’s really tough to be happy at this moment. I just really feel for Naomi.

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“I saw her struggling a little bit late in the set and I realised something was not right. It’s kind of tricky to play when you see the other player struggling a little bit.

“Obviously it is not the way I would have liked this match to end. I thought it was becoming a good match so all the best to her. Hopefully she will be fine soon and can play well for the rest of the season.”

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Naomi Osaka pulls out of tournament for the second time in a row

Osaka has played some impressive tennis since the start of the season as she bids to climb back up the rankings and win more titles.

But injury has threatened to derail her progress as the former World number one was forced to pull out of another event.

After winning the first set in the ASB Classic final, Osaka could not continue and as a result, her opponent Clara Tauson was given the title.

Osaka arrived in Melbourne and defeated Caroline Garcia and Karolina Muchova, two players who beat her in majors in 2024, to reach the third round at the Australian Open.

Though Osaka will be disappointed her body broke down once again, she will be encouraged by her improved level of tennis heading into the rest of the season.

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