Defending US Open champion Naomi Osaka contemplating leaving tennis once more after surprising upset in third spherical

Canadian 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez delivered a surprising upset to Naomi Osaka on Thursday within the third spherical of the US Open, after which Osaka delivered some surprising information afterward. The match gave the 73rd-ranked Fernandez her first victory over a top-three participant and broke the third-ranked Osaka’s successful streak of Grand Slam matches at 16. 

Fernandez’s 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4 win at Arthur Ashe Stadium was arrange by a well timed second-set tiebreaker, making Osaka’s elimination the primary among the many girls’s draw’s top-10 gamers. After the irritating loss, throughout which Osaka threw her racquet, the 23-year-old stated she is contemplating taking one other break from tennis.

“Principally, I really feel like I am form of at this level the place I am making an attempt to determine what I wish to do, and I actually do not know when I will play my subsequent tennis match,” Osaka informed reporters throughout her postmatch press convention.

A crying Osaka then added: “I feel I will take a break from taking part in for some time.” 

Not many predicted Fernandez would take down the defending US Open champion. Fernandez, although, definitely did.  

“From the very starting, proper earlier than the match,” Fernandez stated. “I knew I used to be capable of win.”

Osaka has now misplaced within the third spherical three tournaments in a row relationship to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which marked her return to tennis following a break she took for her psychological well being well-being after pulling out of the French Open in early June. She additionally skipped Wimbledon earlier than competing within the Olympics.

Osaka’s frustration bled into her actions on the court docket, as she threw her racquet in frustration. 

The group turned on Osaka because the match progressed, even booing her at instances. Fernandez stated that noise issue contributed to her surprising victory. 

“It made an enormous distinction,” stated Fernandez, who’s competing in her second US Open. “Due to New York, the New York followers over right here. They helped me get the win.”

The match was eerily just like Osaka’s win over Serena Williams within the 2018 US Open. In that contest, the then-20-year-old Osaka pissed off Williams into smashing her racquet and received her first-ever Grand Slam closing. 

Fernandez wasn’t the one 18-year-old to have an enormous day on the US Open. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz grew to become the youngest males’s participant to qualify for the occasion’s Spherical of 16 since 1999 by defeating the third-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas earlier Thursday. 

Fernandez will face No. 16 Angelique Kerber within the Spherical of 16 on Sunday. Her strategy: the identical one she employed towards Osaka. 

“I will simply go on the market and have enjoyable and do what I did right now,” Fernandez stated.