Tennis: Montreal protagonists Mboko, Osaka out of Cincinnati Open - Omni sports
Mboko, the 18-year-old Canadian who electrified Montreal with her run to a first WTA title, cited the wrist injury she suffered in the semi-finals while four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka blamed a "schedule change" for her absence.
Cincinnati tournament officials said the pair had received byes into the second round due to their performances at the previous event.
The withdrawals vaulted four lucky losers from qualifying into the first round of the main draw of the last major event prior to the August 25 start of the US Open.
After defeating Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win the Montreal title, Mboko revealed that the swelling in her wrist had been bad enough on Thursday morning to prompt her to have an MRI exam before the evening final.
"I woke up this morning, and I actually had my wrist a little bit swollen from (Wednesday's) fall," she said.
"We quickly went to the hospital for an MRI and an X-ray before I came to the courts to practice."
Mboko said she and her team eventually "got the green light that nothing too serious was going on in the wrist."
But she said Thursday night that she expected to give Cincinnati a miss.
"I'm not planning on playing Cincinnati at the moment. I just want to take care of my wrist a little bit right now," she said. "It's just very close and sudden for me to go there and play again (in), like, two days.
"I think I'm just going to sit out on that one and prepare for the upcoming tournaments."
Osaka was less definite, but said she was "teeter-tottering".
"It's going to be interesting to see, yeah, what my next match is and how I'm going to play," the former world number one said.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Follow us on:
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
33 minutes ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Florian Wirtz named Germany's player of the year - World
Liverpool's club-record signing Florian Wirtz has been named Germany's player of the year, further cementing the attacking midfielder's status as a rising star. Wirtz, whose £100 million ($134 million) transfer fee with add-ons could rise to £116 millon in what would be a British record, secured 191 votes among German sports journalists, putting him comfortably ahead of runner-up Michael Olise of Bayern Munich, who garnered 81 votes. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder arrived at Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in June, part of a spending spree that has seen players including French forward Hugo Ekitike and Hungarian leftback Milos Kerkez join the squad as Liverpool bid to retain the Premier League title. Wirtz has been hailed as one of the "top players in the world. He is world class," by former Leverkusen coach and ex-Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, who is the new boss of Real Madrid. After joining, Wirtz told Liverpool's website that he "would like to win everything every year!" "In the end, we want to be successful," he said. "Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious," he added. Wirtz played a key role in Leverkusen's greatest season as they claimed a first-ever Bundesliga title and the German Cup in 2023/24 without losing a single game domestically under Alonso. Their only defeat that season, during which Wirtz was crowned Bundesliga player of the year, came in the Europa League final to Italian side Atalanta, denying Leverkusen a memorable treble. A return of 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 games for Leverkusen is evidence that he carries a threat both as a creator and a goalscorer. Liverpool are already blessed with an abundance of forward options -- including Mohammed Salah -- but the club are banking on Wirtz's creativity to help maintain the 33-year-old's prolific goalscoring and ease the burden of carrying the Liverpool attack. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Messi to miss Miami's MLS Orlando clash - World
Lionel Messi will miss Inter Miami's Major League soccer clash with Florida rivals Orlando on Sunday as he continues to recover from a "minor" muscle injury, coach Javier Mascherano said Saturday. "No, Leo will not be available tomorrow," Mascherano said. "He is fine, but obviously it would be crazy to risk taking him to Orlando because of all that is ahead. "We are optimistic that he will soon return with us." After the Florida Derby clash with Orlando, Inter will host the LA Galaxy on August 16 and three days later they play a Leagues Cup quarter-final against Mexico's Tigres UANL. Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, missed the club's last Leagues Cup group stage match after suffering the "minor muscle injury" in his upper right leg in Miami's win over Necaxa on August 2. Inter are currently fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference, eight points behind leaders Philadelphia and a point ahead of Orlando with three matches in hand. Despite the setback for Messi, Miami have been buoyed by the arrival of his Argentine compatriot Rodrigo De Paul, who scored his first goal for the Herons in a 3-1 victory over Pumas UNAM that clinched their Leagues Cup quarter-final berth. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Son Heung-min makes instant impact in LAFC debut - World
South Korea star Son Heung-min made his Major League Soccer debut for Los Angeles FC Saturday, providing a burst of energy as a second-half substitute in a 2-2 draw with the Fire in Chicago. Son was brought down for a penalty in the 77th minute that Denis Bouanga converted to clinch a draw in the 81st minute -- VAR confirming the spot-kick after the referee had allowed play to continue. "It was a great pass. Obviously it was definitely contact and it was definitely a penalty, I have no doubt about it," said Son, who was sent sprawling by Carlos Teran after racing on to a through ball with the goal in his sights. "A bit disappointed not getting three points, but I think everybody put in a lot of effort. (I'm) happy I made my debut and I hope the goals come soon." The former Tottenham captain also had a string of shots on goal, including one blocked in second-half injury time. Son signed with LAFC on Wednesday for a reported MLS record $26 after a decade with Premier League club Spurs, where he became a household name. The South Korea captain had announced the previous Saturday in his homeland that he would be leaving the north London club and departed as Tottenham's fifth-highest goalscorer of all time with 173 goals in 454 appearances. Son will not get a chance to play in front of home fans in Los Angeles until August 31, when Western Conference leaders San Diego will be the visitors. But around the Fire's SeatGeek Stadium there were a lot of fans wearing his jerseys, waving South Korean flags and holding up signs welcoming Son to MLS. Cheers greeted his entry in place of David Martinez in the 61st minute with the teams level at 1-1. Jonathan Bamba put Chicago 2-1 ahead in the 70th minute and were pressing again when Brian Gutierrez's shot bounced off the post and LAFC seized the rebound. Nathan Ordaz played the ball forward for Son to race away. He had a first MLS goal in his sights when he was brought down. The penalty allowed LAFC to level for a second time. Carlos Teran had opened the scoring for the Fire in the 11th minute with a header from a corner. Eight minutes later Ryan Hollingshead nodded in to make it 1-1. Son had said at his introductory press conference -- attended by luminaries including Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass -- that he felt fighting fit and wanted to get on the pitch "as soon as possible." He will have his next chance when LAFC, who moved up a spot to fifth in the Western Conference, visit the New England Revolution next Saturday. "It was a decent 30 minutes in my legs, so, yeah, getting ready for next week," Son said. "So we'll see how I progress with the training sessions and with the players and we'll see (if) next week I can start the game and make a big impact." (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
