Just three rounds into the 2021 U.S. Open, the defending champion is being sent home.
Naomi Osaka was upset in the third round on Friday by 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez in what was arguably the most surprising result of the year. Fernandez came back to win in three sets, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, to move on to the fourth round.
For Osaka, the third-round exit is her earliest in a Grand Slam since 2016. Fernandez, who just picked up her first career WTA victory at the Monterrey Open in March, is playing in her second U.