Naomi Osaka confirmed to play at star-studded Hong Kong Tennis Open
She will join Emma Raducanu, Simona Halep, Leylah Fernandez and Katie Boulter at Hong Kong event in late October
Former world No 1 and four-time grand-slam tournament winner Naomi Osaka will play in the WTA 250 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open this month, organisers confirmed on Tuesday.
Japan’s Osaka joins a roster featuring another former world No 1 in Simona Halep, defending champion Leylah Fernandez, British No 1 Katie Boulter and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Osaka’s confirmation for the Hong Kong event at Victoria Park comes two weeks after she was forced to retire during her round-of-16 tie at the China Open in Beijing because of a back injury.
The current world No 58 had made a promising start to her Asian swing, winning three matches in Beijing to set up a tie against the United States’ Coco Gauff on October 1.
Osaka took the first set against eventual champion Gauff before being forced off court with a lower back problem after losing the second.
The injury also forced the 26-year-old to pull out of her hometown tournament, the Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka, which started on Monday, and last week’s Wuhan Open.