US Open 2021: Osaka, Tsitsipas, Rublev bundled out on day of upsets

[caption id=“attachment_9936681” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Day 5 of the US Open was billed up to be a cracker with many seeds vs seeds matchups. But the biggest stories came from two unseeded 18-year-olds on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Carlos Alcaraz beat World No 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets to become the youngest man in the fourth round of a Grand Slam since 1992 and youngest man at this stage since 1989. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9937431” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Next up, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez sent the defending champion Naomi Osaka packing. Japan’s Osaka unravelled from a set up and serving for the match in the second. She lost her forehand and, quickly, her composure to go down 7-5, 6-7, 6-4. Fernandez thanked the New York crowd for the support who booed Osaka at one point late in the third set. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9937081” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  In the press conference, Osaka dropped a bombshell by stating she would be taking a break from the sport “for a while.” She claimed she was not enjoying the wins and they felt more as relief while losses saddened her. An emotional Naomi was playing her first tournament since the French Open where she withdrew amid controversy after her stance on mandatory press conferences. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9937561” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  The shock results didn’t just end there. In the last match of the day, America’s Frances Tiafoe enjoyed the energy of the crowd to beat No 5 seed Andrey Rublev in a five setter. Tiafoe became the first American man since Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick to reach the US Open Round of 16 in consecutive years. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9937571” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  In a contest of former World No 1s, Garbine Muguruza got the better of Victoria Azarenka. The Spaniard won 6-4, 3-6. 6-2 over last year’s finalist Azarenka. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9937581” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  2015 semi-finalist Simona Halep came through a battle against Elena Rybakina to move into the fourth round. They played a 64 minute first set, with Halep clinching the tiebreak 13-11, in what was the longest match of the day clocking in 2 hours and 25 minutes. AP[/caption]