Page 20 - AT

A20 SPORTS
Wednesday 28 august 2019
Shaky start to No. 1

Naomi Osaka's U.S.

Open title defense

By HOWARD FENDRICH errors, more than double
AP Tennis Writer Blinkova's total of 22.
NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi "You kind of want to do well
Osaka put her right hand after you did well last year,"
in the shape of a gun and Osaka said, when asked
pointed two fingers at her why she felt so many jitters
temple, her face grim, while trailing 3-0 and 4-1 at
while she looked toward the outset.
her guest box. "Just definitely," she said,
She'd just dropped the "didn't want to lose in the
second set, moments after first round."
wasting a match point, as Osaka avoided that sort of
her U.S. Open title defense disappointment. Stefanos
got off to a shaky start Tues- Tsitsipas, a 21-year-old from
day. Her body language Greece who was seeded Naomi Osaka, of Japan, returns a shot to Anna Blinkova, of Russia, during the first round of the US
told the story: the eye rolls, No. 8, did not. He lost in the Open tennis tournament Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, in New York.
the balled up fists covering first round for the second Associated Press
her face at a changeover, Slam in a row — and made
the racket resting atop her a lot of noise on his way set Roger Federer en route ruza was eliminated by Ali- was, stretched Osaka's win-
head. out, saying during a late to the Australian Open son Riske of the U.S. 2-6, 6-1, ning streak in hard-court
Back in Arthur Ashe Stadi- dispute with chair umpire semifinals in January but 6-3, while two-time Wimble- Grand Slam matches to 15,
um, where she beat Serena Damien Dumusois: "You're bowed out of Wimbledon don winner Petra Kvitova which includes her run to
Williams in last year's cha- all weirdos." in the first round. and No. 13 seed Belinda the titles at Flushing Mead-
otic final, the No. 1-seeded After getting broken to No. 4 seed Dominic Thiem, Bencic both won in two ows in 2018 and at the Aus-
Osaka kept digging holes trail 4-3 in the last set of his the two-time French Open sets. tralian Open in January.
and kept climbing out of 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (7), 7-5 loss runner-up, was also a first- During the professional era, Those helped her become
them, eventually emerging to Andrey Rublev, Tsitsipas round loser for the second which began in 1968, only the first Japanese tennis
with a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 vic- was fiddling around with a straight major tournament two U.S. Open women's player to be ranked No.
tory over 84th-ranked Anna plastic bag of sweat bands when he was beaten 6-4, champions have lost in 1, a spot she regained this
Blinkova of Russia in the first and head wraps at a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 by Thomas Fab- the first round the following month.
round. changeover when Dumu- biano — the player who year: It happened in 2005 Osaka has spoken rather
"I don't think I've ever been sois announced it was time beat Tsitsipas at Wimble- to Svetlana Kuznetsova openly about the struggles
this nervous in my life," Osa- for play to resume. don. and again in 2017 to An- she's had dealing with pres-
ka told the crowd during Tsitsipas said he wasn't Another highly seeded gelique Kerber — who was sure and expectations this
her post-match interview. ready; Dumusois, essen- man went out when No. beaten by none other than season. She said Tuesday
"For me, I just came off re- tially, told him that was 10 Roberto Bautista Agut, Osaka, ranked 45th at the that she hoped figuring out
ally slow and I never really too bad. Tsitsipas told the a Wimbledon semifinalist, time and yet to get past how to get past Blinkova
found my rhythm." official, who already had was defeated by Mikhail the third round at a major — who is now 0-2 at the
The 21-year-old from Japan warned him about get- Kukushkin 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, tournament. U.S. Open and 0-4 against
wore a black sleeve over ting coaching help, to go 6-3, while No. 14 John Isner Osaka thought back to top-10 opponents — would
her left knee, which has ahead and call him for a vi- and 2014 champion Marin that match Tuesday. boost her moving forward.
been an issue recently. olation; Dumusois obliged, Cilic each won in straight "I could kind of see how "It helps me a lot, because
But it wasn't so much her docking a point. sets. No. 2 Rafael Nadal stressed out (Kerber) was I learn from the tougher
movement as her erratic "This chair umpire, I don't was in a later match. and that was in my favor," matches," Osaka said. "It
strokes that presented know, he has something In other women's results Osaka said. "I don't want to helps me be prepared and
problems for Osaka, who against me. I don't know on Day 2, two-time major give people that look." try to learn and adjust my
finished with 50 unforced why," said Tsitsipas, who up- champion Garbine Mugu- This victory, difficult as it game plan."

Tsitsipas to U.S. Open umpire in tirade: 'You're all weirdos!'

By BRIAN MAHONEY way through the fourth was time to play, but Tsitsi- French probably and this chair umpire has in
AP Sports Writer set of Tsitsipas' 6-4, 6-7 (5), pas was still reaching into you're all weirdos! You're all specific against my team,
NEW YORK (AP) — Stefa- 7-6 (7), 7-5 loss to Andrey his bag for a new head- weirdos!" but he's been complain-
nos Tsitsipas accused a U.S. Rublev on Tuesday, a day band and screamed at Du- Dumusois is indeed French. ing and telling me that my
Open chair umpire of hav- when he and fellow young musois that he still needed Tsitsipas had been angry team talks all of the time
ing a bias against him dur- star Dominic Thiem both time to change. Dumusois that Dumusois believed he when I'm out on the court
ing a tirade in which he told lost in the first round for the responded that Tsitsipas was getting coaching dur- playing. He's very — I don't
the official, "You're all weir- second straight major tour- would be penalized. ing the match from his fa- know. I believe he's not
dos!" nament. "I don't care," Tsitsipas re- ther, Apostolos, which is not right, because I never hear
Tsitsipas told Damien Du- Tsitsipas, the No. 8 seed plied. "Do whatever you allowed. anything of what my team
musois that the cause of his from Greece, appeared want, because you're the "The chair umpire was says from the outside."
bias was "because you're to be battling cramps and worst." very incorrect in what he Tsitsipas added that he
French probably and was slow to return to the "I don't know what you was telling me during the thought tennis needed
you're all weirdos!" court after losing his serve. have against me," Tsitsipas match," Tsitsipas said after- more umpires who are fair
The argument came mid- Dumusois told Tsitsipas it continued. "Because you're ward. "I don't know what to all players.q