Naomi Osaka withdraws from next month’s Indian Wells tourney

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament. The move was expected after Osaka indicated following her U.S. Open loss this month that she planned to take another extended break from tennis. The withdrawal was announced by the official Twitter feed for the hard-court tournament at Indian Wells, California. The event is set to be held Oct. 4-17 after twice being delayed during the coronavirus pandemic. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion who has been ranked No. 1 and is currently No. 8. She last played at the U.S. Open, where her title defense ended with a third-round loss to eventual runner-up Leylah Fernandez.