‘Just s*** luck’: Aussie tennis star Daria Saville suffers cruel injury, confirms worst fears

Aussie tennis player Daria Saville is in a state of shock after she suffered a nightmare injury and her worst fears were confirmed.

TOKYO, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 20: Naomi Osaka (R) of Japan helps as Daria Saville of Australia gets an injury in their Singles first round match during day two of Toray Pan Pacific Open at Ariake Coliseum on September 20, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

Australian tennis player Daria Gavrilova has confirmed the heartbreaking news she has suffered an ACL injury.

Naomi Osaka said she felt “really scared” after watching her opponent Saville collapse with a knee injury just seven minutes into their Pan Pacific Open match in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The Australian retired from their first-round encounter after hurting her left knee hitting a crosscourt forehand in the second game of the match.

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The World No. 55 yelled out “my knee” before dropping to the ground in agony, and Osaka rushed over to her side of the court to check on her opponent.

Saville, 28, retired from the match after several minutes of treatment and Osaka, who has struggled with injury herself this year, said she felt “really sad” for her opponent.

“I thought that she was just yelling because she thought her forehand was out, then I realised that she was yelling because she was in pain,” said Osaka, who is aiming to break a slump in form this week in Tokyo.

“Then I got really scared because I felt like as athletes we have a pretty high pain tolerance. It seemed really bad.”

Saville eventually got up and walked over to her chair, but she retired after testing her knee with several footwork exercises.

Naomi Osaka assists Daria Saville after she injured herself during their women's singles match at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Dasha was in serious trouble. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)

Saville initially tweeted after the match: “Can we all pray it’s not ACL… getting MRI tomorrow.

“I’m seriously in disbelief… what the actual f happened… I am not even sad I’m just shocked.”

But on Wednesday Saville confirmed she had suffered the nightmare knee injury, which usually has a recovery time of 12 months.

She posted on Twitter: “Torn ACL. 2013 flashbacks. Don’t worry about me btw. I feel bad that everyone is so worried. I’m ok I promise. It’s just s*** luck.”

It’s a heartbreaking way for Saville’s resurgent season to end, and continues her horror run with injury in recent years.

Unfortunately confirmed ACL rupture for Dasha, surgery & 9+ months recovery ahead. Situations like this video surely can be of use to on-court medicos - ACL injury seemingly not picked up with hands on testing, had Gavrilova hopping/running post injury.
Footage pretty clear.

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) September 21, 2022

She fell down the rankings after sustaining an Achilles injury and dealing with plantar fasciitis in 2019 and 2020.

Saville has soared back into the top 100 and has returned to her best form throughout an encouraging season in 2022.

She made the third round of the French Open and was in excellent form during the American hardcourt swing.

Saville beat top seed Jessica Pegula at the Washington Open and pulled off one of the upsets of the US Open — knocking off Pegula and Coco Gauff in the first round of doubles action playing alongside Leylah Fernandez.

Osaka said she thought Saville was “going to be OK”, adding that she was “a fighter”.

Osaka, who was on break point at 30-40 in the second game after holding her serve in the first game, will play Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round.

Hopefully it’s not an ACL injury. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

“Right now, it still feels a bit weird that I just won a match — I feel like I didn’t win a match,” said Osaka, who has lost in the first round at her last three tournaments.

“I guess that I did and I’m progressing through the tournament. I’m not really thinking too much about the final right now.”

Osaka is the defending Pan Pacific Open champion, although the tournament is being played for the first time since 2019 because of the pandemic.

Earlier in the day, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States lost 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 to Mexican qualifier Fernanda Contreras Gomez in the first round.

Kenin also reached the French Open final in 2020 but she has since dropped to 315 in the world rankings after struggling with injury.

Sixth seed Karolina Pliskova, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, beat Bulgarian qualifier Isabella Shinikova 6-2, 6-1.