Japan’s Naomi Osaka competes in opposition to Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova throughout their Tokyo 2020 girls’s singles third spherical tennis match on the Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo on July 27, 2021.
Tiziania Fabi | AFP | Getty Images
Naomi Osaka’s US Open protection resulted in tears as she suffered a surprising defeat to Leylah Fernandez, earlier than asserting she plans to take an indefinite break from the game.
The defending champion served for the match within the second set, however she capitulated and allowed the 18-year-old to storm to a formidable 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-Four on a shocked Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was a shock ending to her first Grand Slam again after withdrawing from the French Open and Wimbledon as a result of psychological well being points.
The 23-year-old’s future within the sport should now be doubtful after she mentioned she is not going to play once more for a “while”.
Holding again tears in her post-match press convention, she mentioned: “This is very hard to articulate. Basically I feel like I’m kind of at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match. Sorry.
“I believe I’m going to take a break from enjoying for some time.
“How do I go around saying this? I feel like for me recently when I win, I don’t feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don’t think that’s normal. I didn’t really want to cry.”
Asked what precipitated the defeat, she added: “I don’t think it was her serve because I’ve been able to return pretty well against people that served better. I don’t think it’s the occasion because I’ve been in this situation before.
“I assume we’re all coping with some stuff, however I do know that I’m coping with some stuff.”
It was the biggest win of Fernandez, the world No 73’s career, and one that sets up a fourth-round meeting with 2016 champion Angelique Kerber.
The 18-year-old Canadian said during her on-court interview: “I assume I needed to remain on courtroom a bit of bit longer and I needed to place a present on for everybody right here. An hour was simply not sufficient for me on courtroom.
“From the beginning right before the match, I knew I was able to win.
“I wasn’t specializing in Naomi, I used to be solely specializing in myself and what I wanted to do.”
Kerber continued her resurgent summer by seeing off Sloane Stephens 5-7 6-2 6-3.
The German revealed she overcame having to sleep in Flushing Meadows on Wednesday night as Storm Ida caused her match to be cancelled late on.
She said: “I imply we obtained cancelled actually late. I assumed that we are able to go straight to the lodge. But it was inconceivable due to the storm and the rain and all the pieces.
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“We stayed here until 3:30, 4am. I was trying to get a little bit of sleep because I had the match yesterday, just like a few hours later. Yeah, that was my Wednesday night in the gym.”
Simona Halep battled to victory over Elena Rybakina however final yr’s finalist Victoria Azarenka was crushed by Garbine Muguruza.
Halep’s season has been blighted by accidents, and the Romanian is enjoying with heavy strapping on her proper thigh, however she saved 4 set factors in a exceptional first-set tie-break and completed strongly for a 7-6 (13-11) 4-6 6-Three victory.
Ninth seed Muguruza proved too sturdy for Azarenka, with the Spaniard prevailing 6-Four 3-6 6-2 to arrange one other blockbuster conflict in opposition to French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
A day after cheering on husband Gael Monfils to a second-round win, fifth seed Elina Svitolina made it by way of to spherical 4 with a 6-Four 6-2 victory over Daria Kasatkina and in a match that completed after 1am, second seed Aryna Sabalenka beat American Danielle Collins 6-Three 6-3.
