Bencic beats Osaka again, into US Open quarters

Published by Reuters

Belinda Bencic (R) shakes hands with Naomi Osaka after beating the world No.1 in the fourth round of the US Open (Getty Images)
Belinda Bencic beats Naomi Osaka for the third time in 2019 to reach the US Open quarterfinals for the second time. With the loss, Osaka will lose her No.1 ranking.

Defending champion Naomi Osaka of Japan was upset 7-5 6-4 by Belinda Bencic in the fourth round at the US Open on Monday as the Swiss reached the quarterfinals for the second time.

Bencic got off to a bright start on a rainy day in New York, breaking the world No.1 under the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, and her superior serving carried the day as she won 82 per cent of her first serve points.

Momentum swung firmly in the 22-year-old Bencic’s direction in the second set when Osaka double faulted to hand the 13th seed a 3-2 lead and the top-seeded Japanese, who appeared to struggle with a troublesome left knee, was unable to recover.

Bencic improved to 3-0 this year against the 21-year-old Osaka, who came through an emotional straight sets win over 15-year-old American Coco Gauff in the third round on Saturday.

It’s also the second time the Swiss has ended Osaka’s title defence this season, after beating her at the same stage of the tournament at Indian Wells.

Bencic, who also reached the US Open quarterfinals in 2014 when she was just 17 but has struggled with injuries in recent years, said that taking Osaka’s powerful serve early and keeping her energy up was the key to winning the match.

“I was so excited to come on the court, the challenge could not be bigger so I had to be on top of my game,” she said in an on-court interview.

“I’m really pleased with how I played and how I managed my nerves in the end.

“I’m not the person with the most winners or aces, I had to play it a bit like chess with tactics on the court.”

Despite the lack of a big serve, Bencic played fluently, finishing with 29 winners to just 12 unforced errors and breaking Osaka three times.

Osaka’s defeat means Australia’s Ash Barty, who lost in straight sets to China’s Wang Qiang in the fourth round on Sunday, will regain the world No.1 position from the Japanese after the tournament.

Osaka’s loss comes the day after men’s defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic fell to another Swiss, Stan Wawrinka.

Next up for Bencic is a meeting with Croatia’s 23rd seed Donna Vekic, who beat Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-7(5) 7-5 6-3 on Louis Armstrong Stadium court earlier on Monday.

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