Naomi Osaka Loses to Leylah Fernandez at the U.S. Open

Naomi Osaka, the defending women’s singles champion, was upset 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4, in the third round of the U.S. Open on Friday night by Leylah Annie Fernandez, an unseeded 18-year-old from Canada.

The 73rd-ranked Fernandez, a quick and dynamic left-hander, had never faced Osaka, but she did not appear intimidated, clenching her fist after winning key points and often dictating play with her topspin forehand.

It was a memorable evening for teenagers in Arthur Ashe Stadium. In the preceding match, Carlos Alcaraz, a dynamic Spanish 18-year-old, eliminated the No. 3 men’s seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, in a momentum-shifting thriller that came down to a fifth-set tiebreaker. That was the final match of the day session and when the arena was cleared and the night-session crowd took their seats, Fernandez followed Alcaraz’s lead, rallying to defeat the 3rd-seeded Osaka.

The upset came on the same court where Osaka became a global star by surprising Serena Williams to win the 2018 U.S. Open. Osaka has since won three more Grand Slam singles titles, including last year’s Open.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/03/sports/tennis/us-open-naomi-osaka-leylah-fernandez.html