Naomi Osaka knocked out of her first Grand Slam of the Year.
After the defending US Open Champion suffered defeat in the hands of teenager Leylah Fernandez, it was a shocking occurrence at the Flushing Meadows.
The Japanese star opens up:
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‘I don’t know when I am going to play my next tennis match.’
Naomi Osaka has shared that she will be taking a break from tennis. She was defeated and knocked out from the competition by her 18-year-old rival Leylah Fernandez.
The 18 years old Fernandez was inspired by a fellow 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. Carlos won over men’s third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Following Carlos’s footsteps, she gave a stunning performance.
What happened to Osaka?
Osaka hasn’t been on top of her game even after her recent break due to mental health. She served for the match in the second set, only to suffer a 15-minute yielding. Fernandez saw the opening and then fought back to win 5-7 7-6 (2) 6-4.
It was the biggest win of the world number 73’s career and one that sets up a fourth-round meeting with 2016 champion Angelique Kerber.
This is her first Grand Slam since pulling out of the French Open and Wimbledon. This loss will put the spotlight on her.
A near tear Osaka shared that recently when she wins she doesn’t feel happy. She said it feels more like a relief. On other hand, when she loses, she feels very sad and she doesn’t think that it is normal.
‘I didn’t really want to cry, but basically, I feel like … I’m kinda at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do and honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match.’ said Osaka.
Fernandez’s first win
ESPN tweeted via @espn on September 4, 2021. It states that:
“This is Fernandez’s first win over a top-3 ranked player in the world”
During the game, Osaka looked in a decent state of mind for the majority of the match. At first, she was making headway by stealing the first set with a break at 5-5. She was aiming at recreating that the second time.
Unfortunately for her, Fernandez broke straight back at 5-6. It immediately caused discord. It was at this point that Osaka lost her composure over a spell-out 15-minute period.
During her on-court interview, Fernandez said:
“I guess I wanted to stay on the court a little bit longer and I wanted to put on a show for everyone here, an hour was just not enough for me on the court. From the beginning, right before the match, I knew I was able to win. I wasn’t focusing on Naomi, I was only focusing on myself and what I needed to do.”
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