Coco Gauff shows class with kind gesture when Naomi Osaka is forced to retire midway through match

Coco Gauff showed her class by helping Naomi Osaka off court after she retired midway through their match.

The two were playing for a place in the China Open quarter-final and with the scores tied at one set apiece, clash was ready to go to a final set when Osaka opted to withdraw.

This was due to an injury to her lower back that had caused her discomfort throughout the glamour match.

After winning the first set, Osaka’s pain started to increase during the second set, allowing Gauff to level proceedings.

When the decision was announced, Gauff approached Osaka and gave her a hug before sharing some kind words as she packed up her belongings.

The 20-year-old American then picked up the biggest of Osaka’s bags and offered to carry the smaller one as well, before helping the Japanese star off the court to applause from those in attendance.

While it meant that Gauff secured her spot in the final four of the competition, it was clear that the one-time grand slam winner’s biggest concern was for her friend.

Gauff and Osaka’s friendship goes back five years to when the American was just 15 and faced the Japanese star in the third round of the US Open.

Osaka, who was only 21 at the time herself, was a two-time major champion and took just 66 minutes to beat the teenager 6-3, 6-0.

But instead of basking in her victory, the Japanese star showed her class by consoling a young Gauff who was in floods of tears.

Speaking after the match, Gauff said: “I was crying. She was crying. Everybody was crying.

“She was crying and she won. I was like, ‘You won the match.’”

Even after a comprehensive victory, Osaka knew she had seen something special on the opposite side of the net.