Naomi Osaka didn't need to play after teammate Nao Hibino sent Japan to its first Billie Jean King Cup finals Saturday with an unassailable 3-0 qualifying lead over Kazakhstan.
The former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam winner was appearing at the competition for the first time since 2020 and won her opening singles game on Friday.
But she did not need to play a second time after Hibino clinched Japan's spot in November's finals with a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7) win over world No. 50 Yulia Putintseva.