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Defending champion Naomi Osaka suffered a surprise defeat to 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez at the US Open
Naomi Osaka’s US Open defence ended in tears as she suffered a stunning defeat to Leylah Fernandez, before announcing she plans to take an indefinite break from the sport.
The defending champion served for the match in the second set, but she capitulated and allowed the 18-year-old to storm to an impressive 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 on a stunned Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was a surprise ending to her first Grand Slam back after withdrawing from the French Open and Wimbledon due to mental health issues.
The 23-year-old’s future in the game must now be in doubt after she said she will not play again for a “while”.
Holding back tears in her post-match press conference, she said: “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 think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.
“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 caused 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 guess we’re all dealing with some stuff, but I know that I’m dealing 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 guess I wanted to stay on court a little bit longer and I wanted to put a show on for everyone here. An hour was just not enough for me on 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.”
