Naomi Osaka and Stefanos Tsitsipas finished their campaign at the US Open. The two favorites for winning trophies in their respective competitions suffered surprising losses last night.
The young Canadian, Leylah Fernandes, eliminated the champion, winning in three sets, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4. She would make a big comeback following the first set, stunning the rival and the crowd in New York. This is by far the biggest success of her short and young career.
Despite the fact that Osaka struggles in recent times, she was the biggest favorite with Ashleigh Barty to win the title at Flushing Meadows. However, the Japanese player couldn’t find the proper rhythm this Friday night, constantly struggling with the return, especially in the third set when she won only one point on the rival’s serve.
After the match ended, the four-time Grand Slam champion stated that she would probably take a break from tennis to relax and see what to do next with her life.
“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,” Osaka said. “I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.”
The Japanese have been battling mental issues for a while and wasn’t feeling happy on the court. Media pressure and all that goes with her appearances were troubling the young champion, who obviously can’t handle the current situation properly.
Meanwhile, Fernandes is going to the next round, where she meets Angelique Kerber, the three-time Grand Slam champion. Even though she stands as an underdog, the Canadian player enters this match with high hopes following tonight’s win.
Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas has a rough time of his own. The Greek lost against the Spanish teenage sensation, Carlos Alcaraz, in a five-set marathon. The result, in the end, was 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 0-6, 7-6 for the Spaniard, who recorded the biggest win of his career.
“I just don’t know what happened out there in the court,” Alcaraz told the media after the event. “I can’t believe that I beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in an epic match. For me, it’s a dream come true.”
The teenager became the youngest player in the US Open fourth round since 1989, and Pete Sampras and Michael Chang.
Alcaraz had the crowd behind him the whole time, as the fans at the Arthur Ashe stadium loudly cheered against Tsitsipas, who once again stalled during the match. The Greek’s pauses were longer than usual, and he additionally infuriated the spectators who already held grudges against the third seed due to his long toilet breaks in the previous rounds.
Following the game, Tsitsipas mentioned that, stating that he felt that the entire public was against him without reason. Just to remind, he faced Andy Murray in the opening round, and in the moments when the Brit was on the surge, Tsitsipas would take a lengthy toilet break between sets, eventually turning the situation in his favor and defeating the former champion.
Murray was furious after the contest, saying that he “lost all the respect” for Tsitsipas because of his unsportsmanlike behavior. The fans agreed to that, and ever since, the Greek had to battle with both the rival and the spectators when he plays.
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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