US Open champ Osaka slumps against Sevastova in Beijing | Inquirer Sports

US Open champ Osaka slumps against Sevastova in Beijing

/ 05:43 PM October 06, 2018

Naomi Osaka of Japan reacts during her women’s semi-final match against Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 6, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Greg Baker /

Unseeded Latvian Anastasija Sevastova stunned US Open champion Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-4 to reach the China Open final on Saturday.

Sevastova, who dashed Osaka’s hopes of reaching a third straight final, will face either Danish second seed Caroline Wozniacki or Chinese wildcard Wang Qiang on Sunday.

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Osaka, 20, required treatment on her lower back midway through the second set. Last month she won her maiden Grand Slam title in a stormy final in New York, and was runner-up at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

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The Japanese eighth seed, who beat a raging Serena Williams in the US Open final, had been on the verge of tears during her quarter-final victory over Zhang Shuai on Friday.

Sevastova, now ranked 20th in the world, was so sick of getting injured — she had particular problems with her back — that she quit tennis in May 2013 and studied leisure management.

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The time off allowed her body to mend and she returned to the sport in January 2015.

The 28-year-old is now just one victory away from her fourth — but biggest — WTA title of her career in Beijing.

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TAGS: China Open, Naomi Osaka, Tennis, US Open

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