Western & Southern Financial Group to Match Naomi Osaka’s Prize Money Pledge to Haiti Earthquake Relief
Title Sponsor to Double No. 2 Seed’s Donation
CINCINNATI (Aug. 19, 2021) – Cincinnati’s Western & Southern Financial Group, the title sponsor of the Western & Southern Open, will match Naomi Osaka’s pledged donation of her prize money at this week’s tournament to Haiti’s earthquake relief efforts.
Osaka, the daughter of a Haitian father and Japanese mother, announced her prize money pledge in a Tweet on Aug. 14, saying:
Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can’t catch a break. 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 ??????
Commending Osaka for her generosity, Western & Southern chairman, president and CEO John Barrett said he was happy to reinforce her pledge.
“Western & Southern has always been a human institution serving human needs,” said Barrett. “Naomi has taken the lead in a time of need, and we are honored to support her efforts.”
Osaka, the second seed, is through to the Round of 16, and will continue her Western & Southern Open Thursday night against Swiss wild card Jil Teichmann. The 23-year-old Osaka has been the WTA’s No. 1 ranked player for 25 weeks of her career. Four of her seven career titles have come at Grand Slam tournaments.
Western & Southern Financial Group is in its 20th year as the tournament’s title sponsor. The Western & Southern Open is a combined event, hosting a WTA 1000 and an ATP Masters 1000 concurrently. The tournament continues through Aug. 22.
