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US Open 2019: Defending Champion Naomi Osaka dumped out by Belinda Bencic, set to lose No 1 rank
Osaka who lost to Bencic 7-5, 6-4 in the last 16 on Monday will lose her top spot to Roland Garros champion Ashleigh Barty of Australia .
Reigning champion Naomi Osaka was knocked out of the US Open by Swiss 13th seed Belinda Bencic 7-5, 6-4 in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows on Monday. Bencic defeated Osaka for the third time in as many meetings this year and will play Croatian 23rd seed Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals.
The result also means that Osaka -- who was bidding to become the first woman to defend the title in New York since Serena Williams reeled off three in a row, between 2012 and 2014 -- will lose the world No. 1 ranking after the tournament to Roland Garros champion Ashleigh Barty of Australia.
"The challenge cannot be bigger against Naomi. I had to be at the top of my game and I'm really pleased how well I handled my nerves at the end," said Bencic, who also beat Osaka at Indian Wells and Madrid.
"I'm trying to play like chess and make it tactical on the court," she added. "Taking the serve early, trying to anticipate because she has so much power."
Bencic, 22, equaled her best at a Grand Slam having reached the last eight on her US Open debut in 2014. Osaka's exit means there will be four different women's Grand Slam winners in a season for the third consecutive year, a first in the Open era.
