Osaka out: No. 1, defending champ falls at Open

NEW YORK — Naomi Osaka’s 10-match US Open profitable streak and title protection are finished after she was outplayed within the fourth spherical by Belinda Bencic and misplaced 7-5, 6-Four Monday.

Osaka has been sporting a black sleeve on her bothersome left knee and was visited by a coach after getting damaged to path Three-2 within the second set.

“I used to be so excited to return on the court docket. The problem can’t be larger (than) in opposition to Naomi,” mentioned the 13th-seeded Bencic, who will face No. 23 Donna Vekic within the quarterfinals. “I am actually happy with how I performed and the way I managed my nerves ultimately.”

The consequence beneath the closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a wet afternoon means each defending champions and No. 1 seeds are gone earlier than the quarterfinals on the 12 months’s final Grand Slam event.

Final 12 months’s males’s champ, Novak Djokovic, retired in his fourth-round match in opposition to Stan Wawrinka on Sunday night time due to a painful left shoulder.

Osaka made her breakthrough at Flushing Meadows in 2018, profitable her first main championship by beating Serena Williams in a chaotic last that devolved after Williams acquired into an prolonged argument with the chair umpire.

Osaka adopted that up with a second consecutive Grand Slam trophy on the Australian Open in January. That allowed her to grow to be the primary tennis participant representing Japan to succeed in No. 1 within the rankings.

It wasn’t Naomi Osaka’s day on Monday as she acquired knocked out of the US Open in straight units by Belinda Bencic. John G. Mabanglo/EPA

Bencic, who’s from Switzerland, confirmed once more that she is a big-match participant. She improved to Three-Zero in opposition to Osaka this season and now has a tour-leading 9 victories over top-10 opponents in 2019. Bencic is also Four-1 over her profession in opposition to top-ranked gamers.

Bencic is 22, only a 12 months older than Osaka, however her progress was slowed in recent times by accidents, together with wrist surgical procedure.

Again in 2014, when she was 17, Bencic grew to become the youngest lady into the US Open quarterfinals since 1997, when Martina Hingis took the title.

It was Hingis’ mom, after which Hingis herself, who coached and mentored Bencic alongside the way in which, and she or he credited them after getting previous Osaka.

“I do know a lot from them, what they’ve taught me,” Bencic mentioned.

Vekic, a 23-year-old from Croatia, reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal by saving a match level and edging No. 26 Julia Goerges of Germany 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-Three.

“I do not even know the way I received this match,” Vekic mentioned.

Nicely, here is how: Goerges served for the victory at 5-Four within the second set, coming inside one level of ending issues proper there. Not solely could not Goerges convert, however she additionally double-faulted thrice in that recreation and unraveled from there, losing a 21-ace effort.

Osaka is extra highly effective than Bencic and repeatedly used her serve to maintain issues shut, ending with 9 aces.

However it was Bencic’s precision that received the day. She made solely 12 unforced errors in the whole match, whereas producing 29 winners.

Her type is much like the youthful Hingis, who received 5 Grand Slam singles titles.

“I am simply attempting to play it a bit bit like chess and anticipate,” Bencic mentioned.

Enjoying so crisply, so cleanly, she took balls on the rise and snapped them again, dashing Osaka and never giving her time to reply in sort.

Bencic broke for a 6-5 lead with a forehand volley winner adopted by a backhand passing winner, then served out that set. Within the second, Bencic conjured up one other terrific backhand passing shot off a pointy volley by Osaka to arrange love-40, and a double-fault then made it Three-2.

With Osaka out, that leaves No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina as the best seed remaining within the ladies’s draw. Williams is seeded eighth and is the second-highest remaining seed.

Osaka’s loss means Ash Barty would be the new No. 1-ranked participant on the earth come subsequent week. Barty was seeded second on the US Open and likewise failed to succeed in the quarterfinals, shedding in straight units Sunday.

Info from The Related Press was used on this report.