Melbourne, Jan 24 (IANS) Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis is through to the fourth round at Melbourne Park after four-time major winner Naomi Osaka withdrew from the tournament.

Only hours before their scheduled match on Saturday night, two-time AO champion Osaka announced she was withdrawing because of a physical issue

“I’ve had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match,” the 28-year-old wrote on her Instagram story. I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart but I can’t risk doing any further damage so I can get back on the court. Thanks for all the love and support…I’m so grateful everyone embraced me so much. And thank you to my whole team for always having my back and the tournament organisers for being so kind,” the 28-year-old wrote on her Instagram story.

Inglis, in her first main draw at a Grand Slam in four years, has advanced to the round of 16 for the first time. She joins Alex de Minaur as the only other Australian remaining in the tournament. The West Australian will play against World No.2 Iga Swiatek in the fourth round on Monday, the Australian Open reported.

Inglis, one of two qualifiers to reach the last 32, spent 13 hours and 24 minutes over 14 sets to advance to the third round. With Osaka’s withdrawal, she won’t need to play more on Saturday night. By reaching the fourth round, Inglis is assured of earning $480,000.

Osaka drew worldwide attention from both fashion and tennis fans with her memorable grand entrance before her first match against Antonia Ruzic.

The two-time Australian Open champion wore a striking white wide-brimmed hat with a long veil obscuring her face, along with ruffled white pants that swayed as she moved and a white parasol resting over one shoulder. Backlit by the stadium lights, Osaka appeared as a striking figure in sports-inspired fashion.

The Japanese revealed that the inspiration for the outfit was nature, not pop culture. Created with Robert Wun, it was modeled after a jellyfish. The butterfly decorations referenced Osaka’s 2021 Australian Open victory, when a butterfly landed on her during her third-round match against Ons Jabeur.

The 28-year-old also shared that the grand entrance was carefully planned in advance and involved some logistical effort to make sure it was executed properly.

–IANS

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