Angelique Kerber left the U.S. Open last year on top of women’s tennis, with a second Grand Slam title and the No. 1 ranking.
She leaves this year after one match — unsure of exactly what went wrong during a season-long slump.
The sixth-seeded German was beaten by Naomi Osaka of Japan 6-3, 6-1, the first defending women’s champion eliminated in the first round of the U.S. Open in 12 years.
Naomi Osaka upsets Angelique Kerber in first round of U.S. Open0:36
“I think, yeah, it was not my day, completely not my day today,” Kerber said.
Not her year, actually.
Kerber is also on her way out of the top 10 after losing one of the only completed matches before most of the schedule was washed out on a rainy Tuesday. Canada’s Genie Bouchard was scheduled to play Tuesday and will now play her first-round match on Wednesday morning, while Denis Shapovalov will play his second-round match later in Wednesday night.
US OPEN: Wed. Bouchard is 1st match at 11 am on Ashe v Rodina, Shapovalov in is last @ night on Ashe v Tsonga, Pospisil 3rd on 17 v Verdasco
Earlier, No. 1 seed Karolina Pliskova won her first-round match, defeating Magda Linette of Poland 6-2, 6-1.
Fellow Czech Barbora Strycova also advanced quickly to the second round. The No. 23 seed beat Misaki Doi of Japan 6-1, 6-3.
Not since Svetlana Kuznetsova lost in the first round in 2005 had the defending U.S. Open women’s champion been ousted so early.
But perhaps it wasn’t too surprising after Kerber played so poorly following her breakthrough 2016, when she also won the Australian Open and lost to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final before ascending to No. 1 with her victory here.
This year, she fell in the first round of the French Open, that first time that had ever happened to the women’s No. 1 seed in that tournament.
She said she had been practicing well and was confident, despite some minor nagging injuries she had bothered her throughout the season.
“I’m still the same player and the same person, so I think it’s just — yeah, I think it’s just the matches and how I played last year from the beginning and how I’m struggling this year,” Kerber said.
Top seed Pliskova advances to 2nd round of U.S. Open1:02
Kerber and Osaka had the stage to themselves after play was suspended on all courts other than Arthur Ashe Stadium, which has a retractable roof that was closed midway through No. 1 Karolina Pliskova’s 6-2, 6-1 victory over Magda Linette of Poland.
Kerber then took the same court where she beat Pliskova for the title last year and took another stinging defeat.
The left-hander fell to 25-18 with no titles in 2017. She needed to make it to at least the round of 16 to stay in the top 10 and couldn’t get close. She had been in the top 10 since Oct. 5, 2015, a run that would total 101 weeks before she falls out.
Seeds falling fast
With No. 2 Simona Halep’s loss to Maria Sharapova on Monday night and seventh-seeded Johanna Konta also falling, three of the top-seven seeds on the women’s side were gone by the mid-day Tuesday — with Williams not playing because she’s pregnant.
Osaka broke for a 5-3 lead in the first set, then seized control when she broke twice in the second set to open a 4-1 cushion. She finished off the 65-minute victory when Kerber dumped a forehand into the net on match point before quickly departing for the locker room.
It was Osaka’s first victory over a top-10 opponent after she was oh-so-close to beating a top player here last year, blowing a 5-1 lead in the third set and losing to Madison Keys in the third round.
“I just want to play good,” Osaka said. “I played good today, so I want to carry that on to my next match.”
Nadal an easy winner
Rafael Nadal has improved to 13-0 in U.S. Open first-round matches by beating Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-2.
The No. 1 seed dominated after a first set that lasted more than an hour. With rain wiping out most of the day’s play, Nadal became the first man to complete a match Tuesday.
World #1 Nadal easily advances at U.S. Open1:15
With his victory, the two-time U.S. Open champion assured that Roger Federer has to reach the semifinals for a chance to regain the No. 1 ranking.
Federer was to play later Tuesday against American Frances Tiafoe.
