Osaka crashes out to nemesis Bencic
Both defending singles champions are out of the US Open, after world No 1 Naomi Osaka fell to her personal nemesis, Belinda Bencic, in straight sets.
Afterwards, though, Osaka seemed in surprisingly good spirits – perhaps because she had left Arthur Ashe Stadium to a warm ovation, whereas her male counterpart, Novak Djokovic, received a chorus of boos.
Osaka was on the back foot for most of her 7-5, 6-4 defeat, which owed much to Bencic’s silky timing. Trained by Melanie Molitor – whose daughter, Martina Hingis, generated unexpected power from a slight frame – the 22-year-old Bencic is a purist’s delight, with a repertoire that runs all the way from searing forehand drives to delicate drop shots. This was her third victory over Osaka this season, and her fourth in a row.
But it is also clear that Osaka has not been in optimal condition at this event after injuring her left knee in Cincinnati a fortnight ago. She did her best not to make excuses, but during the Japanese section of her press conference she admitted that she had not been able to practise her serve recently because of the stress caused by landing on that left leg.
“I can look at this and be very disappointed,” Osaka said. “But I’m not mad at it. Of course I would like to reach higher rounds. That’s definitely what I’ll aim for in Australia. But for right now, I think the level of tennis that I was playing in Europe was not that great. So, coming here [to the American hardcourt season]: two quarter-finals, round of 16. Hopefully I’ll do well in Japan and just keep building to end the season.”
Osaka’s tournament will be remembered less for her four victories than the heartwarming moment she shared with 15-year-old prodigy Coco Gauff on Saturday. The video was posted on social media by such mavens as Jennifer Garner – the actress who has seven million Instagram followers – and United States congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-cortez.
“I was kind of surprised, because I just thought it was for the people in there, like, in the stands,” Osaka said, when asked about the hug that was seen around the world.
“I didn’t expect it to blow up like that. I definitely felt like people were cheering for me more [during the Bencic match], which I appreciate. It was kind of weird.”
What a contrast with the hostility directed at Djokovic when he retired from his fourth-round match against Stan Wawrinka on Sunday night. The contest ended with Djokovic trailing 6-4, 7-5, 2-1.
As he left, he gave a sarcastic thumbs-up to his critics in the crowd, who had clearly been caught unawares by the suddenness with which the match ended.
“The pain was constant for weeks now,” Djokovic said, when asked about his left shoulder injury. “I’m sorry for the crowd. Obviously they came to see a full match, and it just wasn’t to be. A lot of people didn’t know what’s happening, so you cannot blame them.”