Jul 27, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Naomi Osaka (JPN) reacts during her match against Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) in the women's tennis third round singles during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Ariake Tennis Park. Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
World No. 2 Naomi Osaka pledged to donate her winnings from the upcoming Western & Southern Open toward earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.
The women’s competition at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati begins on Monday. Osaka is the No. 2 seed.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean island nation on Saturday, killing at least 300 people.
“Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can’t catch a break,” she posted Saturday on Twitter. “I’m about to play a tournament this week and I’ll give all the prize money to relief efforts for Haiti. I know our ancestors blood is strong we’ll keep rising.”
Osaka, 23, was born in Japan to a Haitian father and Japanese mother. The four-time Grand Slam winner is competing for the first time since losing in the third round at the Tokyo Olympics last month.
–Field Level Media