Naomi Osaka Advances to U.S. Open Round 3 After Olga Danilovic Withdraws

Naomi Osaka is into the third round at the 2021 U.S. Open after her second-round opponent Olga Danilovic had to withdraw. 

The U.S. Open announced that Danilovic withdrew prior to Wednesday's match because of a "medical reason."

Osaka and Danilovic was scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Simona Halep-Kristina Kucova match will be moved to the stadium in its place. 

The U.S. Open is Osaka's second WTA tournament since June. She withdrew from the French Open prior to the second round, citing her mental health and not wanting to be a distraction after announcing she would be skipping mandatory media obligations.

Osaka's decision to withdraw from the French Open came after the four Grand Slam tournaments said in a joint statement she would be subject to fines and possible sanctions for not speaking with the media due to "Code of Conduct infringement consequences."

The 23-year-old withdrew from Wimbledon in June, prior to the start of the tournament. She returned to competition at the Olympics, where she won her first two matches before losing to Marketa Vondrousova in the third round. 

Osaka's return to the WTA came last month at the Western & Southern Open. She was defeated by Jil Teichmann in the third round. 

The winner of Wednesday's match between Kaia Kanepi and Leylah Fernandez will take on Osaka in the third round. 

Osaka is seeking her third U.S. Open title and second straight. She has one singles title so far this year, at the Australian Open in February.