NEW YORK, Sept 5: Naomi Osaka spiked her racket after one errant forehand late in the second set at the US Open, then flung it the length of the baseline after a missed backhand return ceded that tiebreaker.
Sometimes, that�s the sort of reaction it takes to right things for Osaka. And, perhaps surprisingly, she needed whatever push she could get in Friday�s third-round match.
Facing an opponent competing in just her second major tournament, two-time Grand Slam champion Osaka eventually figured out a way to turn a tight one into a runaway and beat 18-year-old Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2 by claiming the final five games at Flushing Meadows.
�While I was playing, honestly, I was cursing myself out,� Osaka said during an on-court interview. �So you wouldn�t want to know what I was saying.�
After taking things out on her racket, Osaka sat with a white towel draped over head during a changeover.
�It�s what I do in times of extreme anger and frustration,� she said.
Still, she improved to 7-0 since tennis resumed after a hiatus of more than five months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
That�s impressive, to be sure, but still a long way from what top-ranked Novak Djokovic has done in 2020. He is 26-0 this season � and his winning streak dating to late last year is now at 29 matches after a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 28 seed Jan-Lennard Struff on Friday night.
Djokovic�s bid for a fourth championship in New York and 18th Grand Slam title overall � Roger Federer, with 20, and Rafael Nadal, with 19, are the only men with more, and neither entered this tournament � will continue in the fourth round against 20th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta on Sunday.
Another past US Open champion moving into the fourth round on Friday was 2016 title holder Angelique Kerber, who defeated 20-year-old American Ann Li 6-3, 6-4. Kerber�s next opponent is another American, 28th-seeded Jennifer Brady, a 6-3, 6-3 winner against Caroline Garcia.
In the previous round, Garcia upset top-seeded Karolina Pliskova.
Next up for Osaka will be big hitter Anett Kontaveit, an Estonian seeded 14th. She had a much easier time in a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 24 Magda Linette.
In the day�s last women�s match, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova beat 63rd-ranked American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-3. She�ll face another American, 93rd-ranked Shelby Rogers, in the next round.
Men reaching the fourth round included No. 5 Alexander Zverev, No. 7 David Goffin, No. 12 Denis Shapovalov � who won a five-setter over No. 19 Taylor Fritz � Jordan Thompson and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. � AP
NEW YORK, Sept 5: Naomi Osaka spiked her racket after one errant forehand late in the second set at the US Open, then flung it the length of the baseline after a missed backhand return ceded that tiebreaker.
Sometimes, that�s the sort of reaction it takes to right things for Osaka. And, perhaps surprisingly, she needed whatever push she could get in Friday�s third-round match.
Facing an opponent competing in just her second major tournament, two-time Grand Slam champion Osaka eventually figured out a way to turn a tight one into a runaway and beat 18-year-old Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2 by claiming the final five games at Flushing Meadows.
�While I was playing, honestly, I was cursing myself out,� Osaka said during an on-court interview. �So you wouldn�t want to know what I was saying.�
After taking things out on her racket, Osaka sat with a white towel draped over head during a changeover.
�It�s what I do in times of extreme anger and frustration,� she said.
Still, she improved to 7-0 since tennis resumed after a hiatus of more than five months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
That�s impressive, to be sure, but still a long way from what top-ranked Novak Djokovic has done in 2020. He is 26-0 this season � and his winning streak dating to late last year is now at 29 matches after a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 28 seed Jan-Lennard Struff on Friday night.
Djokovic�s bid for a fourth championship in New York and 18th Grand Slam title overall � Roger Federer, with 20, and Rafael Nadal, with 19, are the only men with more, and neither entered this tournament � will continue in the fourth round against 20th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta on Sunday.
Another past US Open champion moving into the fourth round on Friday was 2016 title holder Angelique Kerber, who defeated 20-year-old American Ann Li 6-3, 6-4. Kerber�s next opponent is another American, 28th-seeded Jennifer Brady, a 6-3, 6-3 winner against Caroline Garcia.
In the previous round, Garcia upset top-seeded Karolina Pliskova.
Next up for Osaka will be big hitter Anett Kontaveit, an Estonian seeded 14th. She had a much easier time in a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 24 Magda Linette.
In the day�s last women�s match, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova beat 63rd-ranked American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-3. She�ll face another American, 93rd-ranked Shelby Rogers, in the next round.
Men reaching the fourth round included No. 5 Alexander Zverev, No. 7 David Goffin, No. 12 Denis Shapovalov � who won a five-setter over No. 19 Taylor Fritz � Jordan Thompson and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. � AP
