Naomi Osaka out of Wimbledon warm-up after losing thriller

NEW DELHI: Former world number one Naomi Osaka faced a tough exit from the 's-Hertogenbosch grass-court tournament on Friday, losing in an intense deciding tie-break against Canadian Bianca Andreescu.
The loss for Osaka came despite an encouraging run on grass ahead of Wimbledon.
Andreescu, who is ranked 228 in the world, showed resilience to secure her spot in the semi-finals with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) against the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Next, Andreescu will compete against Hungary's Dalma Galfi for a place in Sunday's final. The tournament has seen some surprises, including the defeat of top seed Jessica Pegula, which has opened up the draw significantly.
"For me today it was just about trying my best to stay in the present moment. She has a great serve, my focus was just to get the ball back into the court on return," Andreescu said after the match.
"Staying mentally tough was key today."
The match was punctuated by two lengthy rain breaks, causing both players to struggle with consistency in the early stages. The games went on serve until the seventh game, when Andreescu took the lead.
A powerful return down the line and an error from Osaka gave Andreescu a crucial break. She solidified her lead with a love service game, taking advantage of multiple mistakes from Osaka.
Andreescu then clinched the first set 6-4 in 40 minutes, using heavily sliced drop shots to disrupt Osaka's rhythm.
However, Osaka made a strong comeback in the second set. She broke Andreescu's first service game with a crosscourt forehand drive on break point and quickly moved to a 3-0 lead.
A double fault from Andreescu handed Osaka a double break, allowing her to complete the second set 6-3 with a service winner.
Their only previous encounter was also a three-set thriller in Beijing in 2019. The third set here at 's-Hertogenbosch was equally tense.
Andreescu, energized and determined, broke Osaka's serve in the sixth game, impressing the crowd with her retrieval skills and inventive spins.
As Andreescu served for the match, Osaka fought back with a break of her own, leading to a final set tie-break.
In the tie-break, both players had opportunities, but Andreescu kept her composure. Osaka made several unforced errors, including a backhand into the net on match point.
Osaka has historically not performed her best on grass, with her Grand Slam victories coming on hard courts at the US Open and Australian Open.
However, she has shown potential to be a contender at Wimbledon this year as she makes her return after giving birth to her daughter.
Osaka recently had a match point against eventual French Open winner Iga Swiatek in the second round, posing one of the toughest challenges for the world number one on the Paris clay.