Svetlana Kuznetsova, of Russia, returns a shot from Marketa Vondrousova, of Czech Republic, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
NEW YORK — Past U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova was upset in the second round by 116th-ranked Kurumi Nara of Japan 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
This was Nara’s first victory in nine career matches against opponents ranked in the top 10. It also allowed her to get to the third round at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2013, equaling her best showing at any Grand Slam tournament.
The No. 8-seeded Kuznetsova’s exit Thursday night means five of the top eight women in the field are already gone before the third round. She joins No. 2 Simona Halep, No. 5 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 6 Angelique Kerber and No. 7 Johanna Konta. Kerber was the defending champion.
Kuznetsova won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2004 and was the runner-up in 2007. She also was the French Open champion in 2009. The Russian came to New York this year as one of eight women with a chance to move up to No. 1 in the WTA rankings after the tournament.