New York: Japanese teenager Naomi Osaka sent defending champion Angelique Kerber crashing out of the US Open first round yesterday, bringing a rare bright spot to a rain-lashed day at Flushing Meadows.
As players ran for cover off the outside courts, Osaka’s big-hitting game and love of the big occasion thrived under the roof of the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
The world number 46, born in Japan to a Haitian father and Japanese mother, won 6-3, 6-1 as sixth seed Kerber became the first US Open women’s defending champion to lose in the first round since Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2005.
Osaka, who surrendered a 5-1 third set lead on the same court in losing to Madison Keys 12 months ago, fired 22 winners as Kerber went tumbling out of the world’s top 10 as well as the tournament.
“At 4-1, I was hoping I don’t do what I did last year,” said the 19-year-old Osaka, who admitted suffering a brief flashback to her tearful loss to Keys.
“So that helped me focus and concentrate, which I needed as Angelique gets everything back.”
Osaka will face either Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson or Denisa Allertova of the Czech Republic for a place in the last 32.
“I just want to play good. I did that today and so I want to carry that into the next match,” added the Japanese teenager, who secured her first career win over a top-10 player.
Kerber is the third top seed to go out in the first round after number two Simona Halep and seventh-seeded Johanna Konta lost on Monday.
World number one Karolina Pliskova, bidding to back up her lofty status with a maiden first Grand Slam title, also made a winning start.
Czech 25-year-old Pliskova, the runner-up in 2016, eased past Poland’s Magda Linette 6-2, 6-1 on the back of eight aces and 29 winners.
“I felt a little bit nervous walking on this court, especially after last year and the memories I have here,” said Pliskova, whose progression to the second round was only briefly halted by the roof on Arthur Ashe stadium being closed.
Earlier, Maria Sharapova proved she will be someone to contend with for the crown after the Russian wild card outlasted second seed Simona Halep 6-4 4-6 6-3 to get the year’s final grand slam off to an electrifying start.
Still shaking off the rust from a 15-month doping ban and a string of nagging injuries, the 30-year-old Sharapova needed all her skill, determination and two hours and 44 minutes to snatch victory in front of a packed Arthur Ashe stadium.
The victory becomes the highlight of what has been a torturous comeback for the former world number one, who returned to tennis in April after being banned for testing positive for metabolic modulator meldonium at last year’s Australian Open.
Her progress has been slowed by a thigh injury that forced her out of the Italian Open in May and more recently left arm issues that took her out of the second round at Stanford earlier this month.
However, there was no hint of distress against an in-form Halep as she improved her record to 7-0 against the feisty Romanian in an opening round clash that was played with the intensity more befitting of a final.
“You sometimes wonder why you put in all the work and this is exactly why,” said Sharapova after playing in her first grand slam match in nearly two years.
“No matter my record against her it’s always been tough, no matter what tournament, no matter where we played I knew I had to work for it.”
Rarely do grand slams serve up such a mouth-watering treat in the opening round.
With the US Open draws ravaged by injuries and withdrawals, Sharapova provided a splash of glitz and glamour to the tournament strolling onto the floodlit court like it was catwalk in a jet black tennis dress that sparkled with Swarovski crystals.
“Behind all these crystals and little black dresses this girl has a lot of grit and she’s not going anywhere,” Sharapova told the crowd.
A wild card entry and ranked outside the top 100, Sharapova could have found herself up against anyone but the draw gave her no favours by slotting her in against Halep.
“Prime time baby,” screamed Sharapova, now 18-0 in night time matches on Arthur Ashe.
“These are the opportunities that you play for. When I was young and I was coming to New York it was everything, the rush, the people, the crowd, the noise and now I embrace every moment of it and I love it.
“Now I can’t wait for more.”
Adding some heat to contest, Halep was one of several players to express their displeasure over the five-time grand slam winner being granted wild card entries into tournaments instead