Naomi Osaka withdrew from the final of the Auckland Classic with an abdominal injury Sunday, a blow to the Japanese star just a week before the start of the Australian Open.

Playing in her first WTA final for three years, against Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for the physio after taking the opening set 6-4 and pulled out shortly afterwards.

Osaka’s sudden withdrawal came as a shock after playing with no apparent problem in the 35-minute opening set, unleashing some powerful groundstrokes to break her opponent in the third and fifth games.

At the changeover, the 27-year-old stood and performed a series of stretches during a medical timeout.

After consulting with the trainer she shook the hand of Tauson, who picked up a third career title and her first since 2021.

Osaka didn’t divulge details of what forced her withdrawal in a short courtside interview.

However, in a statement, the WTA said she retired “due to an abdominal injury”.

“I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city. I had a lot of fun playing here and I’m sorry about how it ended.

“I hope you did enjoy the tennis that we did play and I’m just really grateful to be here,” Osaka said.

It was an anti-climactic finish to the week for Osaka, who was chasing her first title since winning the 2021 Australian Open.

Her most recent final appearance was at the Miami Open the following year, before taking a 15-month break and giving birth to her first child midway through 2023.

She returned to tennis 12 months ago and has climbed to 57th in the world rankings.

AFP

Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge was dealt another seismic blow as Joao Pedro’s penalty secured a 1-1 draw for Brighton on Saturday to leave the Gunners five points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who have two games in hand.

Mikel Arteta’s attacking options were limited by illness and injury but 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri took his chance to shine with a composed finish to put the visitors in front.

However, Arsenal saw two vital points slip away when William Saliba was harshly punished for a clash of heads with Joao Pedro and the Brazilian slotted home the resulting spot-kick.

Liverpool can now further extend their lead at the top and close in on a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title when they host struggling Manchester United on Sunday.

Already shorn of talisman Bukayo Saka for the next two months with a hamstring injury, Arsenal’s attacking options were further depleted by illness.

Kai Havertz failed to even make the matchday squad for the second consecutive game, while captain Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli were only fit enough for appearances as second-half substitutes.

Nwaneri was the beneficiary with a second consecutive start and showed why he is one of the Premier League’s rising stars with a clinical finish for the opening goal.

The teenager still had plenty to do as he raced onto Mikel Merino’s ball over the top but his pace took him beyond the Brighton defence before firing low into the far corner on 16 minutes.

Arsenal went on to control the remainder of the first half but lacked any penetration without their quartet of attacking stars to build on their lead.

Merino had the one big opportunity to double the Gunners’ advantage early in the second period when he skewed wide from Declan Rice’s free-kick.

Moments later the visitors were rocked by a controversial call that could have huge ramifications for the title race.

There was the slightest touch from Saliba’s head onto Joao Pedro’s but the Brighton forward went down clutching his face and got the reward of a spot-kick.

The Seagulls captain for the day, in the absence of Lewis Dunk, confidently stroked home the penalty to level.

Arteta responded immediately by summoning Odegaard from the bench, while Martinelli had replaced Nwaneri at the break.

However, it was Brighton who looked the most likely winners in the closing stages.

Yakuba Minteh wasted a great chance to end their now eight-game winless run when his shot across goal evaded both Yasin Ayari and Kaoru Mitoma and slid wide of the far post.

But a point is enough to edge Brighton back into 10th.

AFP

A former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick says the Super Eagles will get a substantive head coach “any moment from now”.

Pinnick, a FIFA Council member, gave the hint on Friday.

“Any moment from now, I am sure they would be announcing a coach, an enterprising coach at that,” he said during an interview on Channels Television’s Sports Tonight.

The Super Eagles have been without a coach since the departure of George Finidi in June 2024 after Jose Peseiro left the coach following the three-time African champions second-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Augustine Eguavoen has since then served in an interim capacity as the Super Eagles gaffer, leading Nigeria to a place in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Despite his feat, the NFF is poised to hire a new coach for Nigeria ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which resume later in the year.

The Super Eagles are in the fifth position in Group C of the African qualification series for the World Cup set to be held in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. They are winless in four games, managing a meager three points, four less than the leaders of the lot Rwanda.

We Would Still Qualify

Pinnick, is, however, hopeful of the Super Eagles’ chances of qualifying for the quadrennial tournament.

“We believe we would still qualify by God’s grace,” he said.

“I speak to the president [of the NFF] every other day and I know he is very religious about qualifying Nigeria for the World Cup. It is going to be a tough call. I don’t want to raise the hopes of any Nigerian that we would qualify. But we would try our human extreme. When I say human extreme, on a scale of 1-10, we would get to that 10 and see if we can make it happen. We believe it is divine.”

Since making their debut at the 1994 World Cup, the Super Eagles have never failed to qualify for the football showpiece. They missed the last edition in Qatar after losing on the away goal rule to Ghana in the playoffs. Nigeria also did not the 2006 World Cup in Germany.