September 01, (THEWILL) – Defending champion Naomi Osaka was the beneficiary of the easiest entry into the third round with a walkover at the second round of the US Open on Wednesday, after her opponent Olga Danilovic withdrew due to medical reasons.
The third seed was billed to commence action on day three in the Arthur Ashe Stadium before her opponent’s withdrawal meant that the opening match on the main court switched to the contest between the Romanian Simona Halep and Kristina Kucova of Slovakia.
The news of Danilovic’s illness was broken by the Serbian herself as she posted it in a message on her Instagram page, saying that her withdrawal was due to “a non-covid related viral illness” as she expressed her gratitude for the support provided to her by the US Open medical staff.
Osaka, who began the defense of her title strongly with a straight sets victory over Czech player Marie Bouzkova, will now wait to face the winner of the match between Leylah Fernandez or Kaia Kanepi in the next round.
The Japanese created a lasting memory for a young fan who was watching courtside after her victory over the Czech as Osaka gifted the girl an Olympic memento. She explained the reason behind her action later: “I heard her and she was so cute. Thank you for cheering me on.
“In the Olympics we got little pins that we were supposed to pass around to other players. I wasn’t there for a long time so I have a couple in my bag left over. I thought it would be a nice memory.”
Elsewhere on Day three of the final major in the ATP calendar there were concerns that play could be disrupted with a downpour as heavy rain was forecasted in the New York area.
However, in the schedule for the day in the men’s event, second seed Daniil Medvedev is up against German Dominik Koepfer while third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas returns to the court after his epic first-round match against Andy Murray that went to five sets and sent Murray home.
The top-ranked Brit, Daniel Evans, will seek to keep the country’s flag flying against American Marcos Giron, with the pair having met for the first time earlier this year in Australia. Evans won that encounter in straight sets and will be hopeful of a repeat.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
