Yahoo Sports World No. 1 Naomi Osaka falls in Round of 32 at French Open
World No. 1 Naomi Osaka became the latest top-ranked player to lose at the French Open on Saturday, ending her pursuit of a third straight Grand Slam title.
Facing 42nd-ranked Kateřina Siniaková, Osaka fell 6-4, 6-2 in the Round of 32.
Osaka narrowly avoided defeat in the second round of the tournament on Thursday as well, when she edged 43rd-ranked Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. She also just edged Anna Karolína Schmiedlová in the opening round, 0-6, 7-6, 6-1 on Tuesday.
Just like earlier in the tournament, unforced errors proved to be Osaka’s biggest problem. Osaka had 38 unforced errors Saturday after posting 43 in her second-round win with an extra set.
Still, despite her lower ranking, Siniaková was a formidable foe. The 23-year-old from the Czech Republic is the world’s No. 1 doubles player and has had success at Roland Garros when she won last year’s doubles title at the French Open alongside countrywoman Barbora Krejčíková.
Osaka became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam tournament when she topped Serena Williams in September at the U.S. Open and followed it up with an Australian Open title in January. That earned her the top ranking, which she has held onto since. Despite her loss, Osaka is expected to stay at No. 1 because of how tough the tournament has been.
Just three rounds in to the French Open, there have been a number of notable upsets. World No. 2 Karolina Pliskova also fell in straight sets on Friday, joining three other top-10 players who are already out: No. 4 Kiki Bertens, No. 5 Angelique Kerber and No. 9 Elina Svitolina.
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