Tennis star Naomi Osaka announced that she will donate her winnings from the 2021 Western & Southern Open to help the victims of an earthquake that hit Haiti on Saturday morning.
Death toll: The 7.2-magnitude earthquake has left at least 1,297 people dead and over 5,700 injured, forcing the Haitian government to declare a state of emergency, CNN reported.
- A tropical storm hitting the country Monday is said to further complicate recovery efforts.
- The country is still reeling from the devastation caused by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in 2010, which killed an estimated 220,000 to 300,000 people and affected around three million.
Painful devastation: Osaka, one of the main draws in the ongoing Western & Southern Open, took to Twitter to express her feelings on the calamity that destroyed 13,694 homes and damaged 13,785 more in her father’s home country.
- “Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can’t catch a break,” Osaka wrote in a tweet Saturday.
- After announcing that she’ll give all the prize money she would win in this week’s tournament to relief efforts for Haiti, she added: “I know our ancestors’ blood is strong, we’ll keep rising.”
- The tournament, which is set to begin on Monday in Cincinnati, will award $255,220 to the women’s singles winner and $188,945 to the runner-up.
- Representing Japan, the 23-year-old athlete is entering the tournament as the second top seed in the WTA singles category behind Australia’s Ashleigh Barty.
Featured Image via NBC Sports (left) and Guardian News (right)
