NEW YORK: Two-time champion Naomi Osaka’s US Open title defence ended in tears on Friday, as she suffered a stunning defeat in the third round to Canadian Leylah Fernandez 5-7 7-6(2) 6-4, and told reporters she planned to take a break from the sport. “I feel like I’m kind of at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do. Honestly I don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match,” she said, breaking down in tears at a post-match press conference and pulling the brim of her visor over her eyes. “I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.” Playing in her first Grand Slam since pulling out of the French Open earlier this year and disclosing her battle with depression, Osaka’s return to Flushing Meadows did not go to plan, as she wordlessly left the court after uncharacteristically losing her cool in the second set tiebreak. The third seed whacked her racquet and then flung it onto the court twice in frustration as Fernandez scored five straight points in the tiebreak, in a series of superb play. —agencies
