U.S Open number one seed, Naomi Osaka upset by Bencic

Just 14 hours after Stan Wawrinka upset top seed Novak Djokovic, another Swiss player has beaten another number one seed, reports www.si.com. Defending U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka suffered an upset straight-set loss (7-5, 6-4) to No. 13 Belinda Bencic in the fourth round yesterday, ending the world No. 1’s hopes of winning her second-straight title in New York and third Grand Slam in the last 12 months.

Bencic, 22, jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first set, generating four break points in the third game before Osaka fought back to win three straight games to take a 3-2 lead. Despite double-faulting twice leading 6-5, Bencic fired a serve out wide that forced a missed return to clinch the set 7-5.

After a back-and-forth start to the second set, Bencic jumped to a 4-2 lead by winning a 21-shot rally with a forehand pass. Osaka held twice to make it 5-4 before Bencic sealed the win with a one-two punch, advancing to the U.S. Open quarterfinal for the first time since doing so as a 17-year-old in 2014.

Bencic finished the match with 29 winners to 12 unforced errors.

“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,” Bencic said after the match. “I’m really pleased with how I played and how I managed my nerves in the end.”

Yesterday’s events marked only the fourth time in Open era that the No. 1 women’s and men’s seed suffered defeats before the quarterfinal.

Bencic will face No. 23 Donna Vekic in the quarters after the Croatian beat No. 26 Julia Goerges in a tight three-setter on Louis Armstrong.