Naomi Osaka withdraws from W&S in call for justice; demands change after Jacob Blake shooting

Fourth-seeded Naomi Osaka reached semifinals of Western & Sourn Open on Wednesday and withdrew a few hours later in a call for racial justice.

last Top 10 seed in women's bracket joined professional athletes in basketball, baseball and soccer in demanding change after Jacob Blake was shot by police.

Osaka tweeted that as a Black woman, she feels compelled to pull out of tournament to put a focus on police shooting Black people.

“I don't expect anything drastic to happen with me t playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in right direction,” she tweeted. "Watching continued gecide of Black people at hand of police is honestly making me sick to my stomach.

“I'm exhausted of having a new hashtag pop up every few days and I'm extremely tired of having this same conversation over and over again. When will it ever be eugh?”

NBA, WNBA, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer games were called off Wednesday as athletes demanded racial justice.

Osaka beat . 12 Anett Kontaveit 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 on Wednesday afteron, reaching semifinals as only Top 10 player left in bracket. She was scheduled to play . 14 Elise Mertens.

Victoria Azarenka will play eighth-seeded Johanna Konta in or women's semifinal. Konta beat Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-3, and Azarenka advanced in straight sets against Ons Jabeur.

Azarenka, who was . 1 in 2012, ackwledged Wednesday that she had considered retiring at start of year. She’s currently . 59 but has reached her first semifinal since April 2019.

“In January, I didn’t kw if I was going to play at all,” she said. “So end of January, I decided: You kw what? I might try, last time, and see what happens.”

In men's bracket, top-ranked vak Djokovic had problems with his creaky neck or swirling winds during a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jan-Lennard Struff that was by far his best showing of week.

So far, rust at all after long layoff from competitive tennis.

“Everything was worked on in last six months, I had plenty of time,” Djokovic said. “I worked on every single thing. It's great it's paying off so early after break.”

Djokovic tested positive for COVID-19 after exhibition matches he organized in Serbia and Croatia in June with social distancing.

In his match Monday against Ricardas Berankis, Djokovic had his sore neck massd twice by a trainer during a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory that included seven double faults. neck has gotten better, and so has his overall game.

“Right w it's t a concern," he said. “It's still t 100% but it's close to that. I've been gaining more range in my movement of neck every single day, so complaints.”

In semifinals, he'll face Roberto Bautista Agut, who kcked out defending champion Daniil Medvedev earlier in day.

Medvedev failed to close it out in second set, and Bautista Agut rallied for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory that eliminated yet ar top player out of tune-up tournament for U.S. Open. Djokovic is only player left in tournament with an ATP Masters 1000 title to his credit.

Medvedev led 4-3 in second before letting it slip away. He converted only five of 20 break points in match and swatted his racket against court in frustration at end.

“Even in third set I had my chances and didn't take m,” Medvedev said.

Bautista Agut reached his third Masters semfinal and his first since 2016. He needed a set to adjust to breezy, cooler conditions on court.

“It's never easy to come back and play good at first,” he said. “I have to be patient, to try to enjoy every single match I play here after six months without competing. Just pleased and happy to be in semifinals.”

Medvedev hoisted champion's Rookwood Pottery cup last year in Mason, Ohio, where tournament is held annually. This year's event was moved to U.S. Open site in Flushing Meadows because of pandemic precautions, creating a two-tournament event without spectators.

Fourth-seeded Stefas Tsitsipas also advanced to semifinals when Reilly Opelka withdrew during first set of ir match Wednesday after getting treatment for an injured right knee.

Im credits: AP