No. 3 seed and defending champion Naomi Osaka moved into the third round of the 2021 US Open without hitting a ball on Wednesday after Serbia's Olga Danilovic withdrew from the tournament with a medical issue.
Osaka and Danilovic, scheduled to play first in Arthur Ashe Stadium at noon, was replaced in the order of play by the match between No. 12 seed Simona Halep and lucky loser Kristina Kucova.
"I am so sad to have to withdrawal from my match this morning. I have been feeling unwell these past few days dealing with a non-COVID related viral illness," Danilovic wrote on Instagram. "I was really looking forward to playing against Naomi on Arthur Ashe Stadium today, but not to be this time. I just want to say big thank you to the medical stuff [sic] here in US Open and everyone for your support, and I cannot wait to be back in New York at this amazing tournament next year."
After beating Czech Marie Bouzkova on Opening Night on Monday, Osaka advances to face either Estonia's Kaia Kanepi or Canada's Leylah Fernandez.
