Osaka and Serena crash out of French Open, Djoko wins

World number one Naomi Osaka’s winning streak at the majors ended in a third round defeat at the French Open yesterday, while the men’s top-ranked Novak Djokovic extended his run to 24 in search of a second career non-calendar year Grand Slam. Japan’s Osaka went out 6-4, 6-2 against 42nd-ranked Czech Katerina Siniakova as the already heavily depleted women’s field saw another shock exit. Osaka has never gone beyond the third round in now four appearances at Roland Garros. She had won 16 straight Grand Slam matches in a row before, with titles at the 2018 US Open and the Australian Open in January. And the women’s field was further depleted when number 10 Serena Williams crashed 6-2, 7-5 against fellow American Sofia Kenin, ending another bid for a record-tying 24th grand slam title. But third-seeded title holder Simona Halep made short work of 27th seed Lesia Tsurenko, 6-2, 6-1. Serbia’s Djokovic meanwhile won easily 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 over Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso. Djokovic is bidding to hold all four Grand slam titles at the same time for the second time in his career, as in 2015-16. He won Wimbledon and the US Open last year, plus the Australian Open in January. Fourth-seed Dominic Thiem, the 2018 runner-up, beat Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5; and German fifth seed Alexander Zverev played yet another Paris five-setter as he outlasted Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 1-6, 6-2. Osaka had laboured to three-set victories in her first two matches on her least favourite surface clay, but finally ran out of luck against the 42nd-ranked Siniakova. The Czech advanced to her first singles fourth round at the majors and had won the Roland Garros and Wimbledon doubles titles last year with compatriot Barbora Krejcikova. Siniakova, 23, broke Osaka in the 10th game and twice more in the second set, wrapping up matters on first match point when Osaka committed her 38th unforced error by hitting a forehand long. Siniakova had only 13 errors in her biggest career win in 1 hour 17 minutes on a sunny and warm afternoon. Osaka said the pressure of being number one and winning the last slams affected her a little on her least favourite surface. “Clay is one of the Grand Slams, and I have to figure out how to sort of embrace it and love it in my own way. I mean, when I get here, I’m excited, I guess. But then it kind of goes away, because I try to focus on playing my matches,” she said. Despite the defeat, Osaka will retain the top ranking after Paris because all four rivals who could have gone top are not in the tournament any more. The highest women’s seeds are now number three Halep, the title holder, and seventh-ranked Sloane Stephens, the 2018 finalists. Romanian Halep, 27, struggled a little with her serve in the first set, but was never seriously tested in a 6-2, 6-1 triumph over Tsurenko of Ukraine in 55 minutes on the Philippe Chatrier centre court where she won her maiden grand slam title last year.  “Before the match, I was really nervous. I have to admit big emotions, but it’s normal. I’m here again. I’m feeling good, and I have expectations for myself to play good tennis,” Halep said. The 37-year-old Williams has not won a grand slam since being pregnant at the 2017 Australian Open and slumped to her worst result at the majors since Wimbledon 2014 against Kenin. The 23-year-old, who won her first career title in January in Hobart, prevailed in 1 hour 32 minutes for her biggest career success when Williams hit a groundstroke long. “I’m just pretty far away, but the optimistic part is I haven’t been able to be on the court as much as I would have. That’s okay. At least I can start trying to put the time in now,” said Williams, who has rarely played this year owing to knee problems. Djokovic made short work of 147th-ranked Caruso, who was playing at Roland Garros for the first time, firing eight aces and 25 winners en route to victory in 2 hours 4 minutes. He next meets 45th-ranked German Jan-Lennard Struff, who stunned 13th seed Borna Coric of Croatia, 4-6, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 11-9. Zverev faces Monte Carlo Masters winner Fabio Fognini, the ninth seed; Thiem’s next opponent is French 14th seed and ex-semi-finalist Gael Monfils.Greek dark horse Stefanos Tsitsipas completed a darkness-interrupted third-round match to beat Filip Krajinovic, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6), and faces Stan Wawrinka next in a mouth-watering Sunday date after the Swiss 2015 winner saved four set points to complete a 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (10-8) win over Grigor Dimitrov.