French Open: Osaka, Serena exit in third round

The top half of the Roland Garros women’s singles draw is wide open after world No.1 Naomi Osaka and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams were eliminated in the third round.

Osaka’s winning Grand Slam run came to an end with a straight-sets defeat by Czech Katerina Siniakova.

The world No.1 had won 16 consecutive Slam matches, taking in titles at the US Open and Australian Open as well as two victories in Paris.

But she had been living extremely dangerously and against Czech Siniakova, the world doubles No.1 and ranked 42 in singles, she could not find a way back, going down 6-4 6-2.

World No. 1 gone!@K_Siniakova produces the upset of the tournament, ousting Osaka 6-4 6-2.#RG19 pic.twitter.com/TUjeRv2TdI

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2019

Osaka had lost her opening set against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Victoria Azarenka and the pattern continued on Saturday, with Siniakova breaking to lead 5-4 having saved seven break points.

Osaka has become the expert at digging herself out of holes but she simply could not find her form and finished with a tally of 38 unforced errors.

The mistakes became wilder as the match wore on, Osaka looking resigned to her fate.

A double fault on break point to go 5-2 down put her on the precipice, and Siniakova completed the upset to reach the fourth round at a Slam for the first time in singles.

Osaka said the pressure of being No.1 and winning the last slams affected her a little on her least favourite surface.

“Clay is one of the Grand Slams, and I have to figure out how to sort of embrace it and love it in my own way. I mean, when I get here, I’m excited, I guess,” she said.

“But then it kind of goes away, because I try to focus on playing my matches.”

REPORT: Djokovic cruises into fourth round

Osaka’s exit, a day after No.2 Karolina Pliskova lost, leaves defending champion Simona Halep, at No. 3, as the highest-seeded woman remaining.

The Romanian needed only 55 minutes to get to the fourth round with a 6-2 6-1 victory over 27th-seeded Lesia Tsurenko.

Meanwhile Williams’ quest to add to her Grand Slam tally ended with a 6-2 7-5 loss to fellow American Sofia Kenin. The No.35-ranked Kenin outplayed her more experienced opponent to reach a first Grand Slam fourth round.

It marks Serena’s earliest Slam exit since a third round loss at Wimbledon in 2014.

In only her second main draw appearance in Paris, @SofiaKenin takes out 3x Champion Serena Williams 6-2 7-5.

Reaches first R16 at a Slam. #RG19 pic.twitter.com/Eg7qtewEDJ

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2019

Former US Open runner-up Madison Keys, the 14th seed, a semifinalist in Paris a year ago, advanced by beating qualifier Anna Blinkova 6-3 6-7 (7-5) 6-4.

Ash Barty, the No.8 seed, is also in the round of 16 following a 6-3 6-1 win over Andrea Petkovic.