MASON, Ohio — Canadian Open finalists Victoria Mboko and Naomi Osaka have withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open.
After playing in the final in Montreal on Thursday night, it was announced on Friday that both were no longer playing in the tournament. Mboko, an 18-year-old Canadian who won the first WTA title of her career at the 1000-level event in front of an enamored home crowd, cited a left wrist injury for her decision. Osaka, who had played in her first 1000-level final since 2022, was listed as having a “change of schedule,” according to the Cincinnati Open.
After her 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Osaka on Thursday, Mboko revealed she had injured her wrist during her semifinal match and had underwent an MRI earlier in the day. Mboko told reporters she was unlikely to play in Cincinnati as a precaution.
“I just want to take care of my wrist a little bit right now, and I think it’s just very close and sudden for me to go there and play again I think in, like, two days,” Mboko said. “I think I’m just going to sit out on that one and prepare for the upcoming tournaments.”
Both unseeded at the Cincinnati Open, Mboko and Osaka had been granted performance byes into the second round after reaching the Canadian Open final. Due to the newly-extended formats of 1000-level tournaments and the overlap between the two events, both would have otherwise had to play their first-round match on Friday in Cincinnati.
However, with their absences from the tournament, two first-round matches have now been added to Friday’s schedule in Cincinnati featuring four lucky losers from qualifying. Cristina Bucsa and Yuan Yue replace Mboko and her performance bye in the draw, and the winner of their match will face No. 14 seed Diana Shnaider in the second round. Solana Sierra and Iva Jovic take the place of Osaka, and the winner of their clash will next take on No. 20 seed Linda Noskova.
While Mboko and Osaka were unseeded entering the Cincinnati Open, which got underway on Thursday, they both are expected to be seeded at the upcoming US Open following their strong performances in Montreal. Mboko, who was ranked outside the top 300 at the start of the year, is now ranked a career-high No. 24. Osaka is currently No. 25, her highest showing since returning from maternity leave at the start of the 2024 season.
