US Open 2019: Naomi Osaka's title defence over after straight-sets fourth-round loss

Naomi Osaka will slip to number four in the WTA rankings.
Naomi Osaka will slip to number four in the WTA rankings. Photo credit: Getty

Champion Naomi Osaka has crashed out of the US Open with a 7-5 6-4 defeat to Belinda Bezcic.

Osaka will also lose the world No.1 spot to Australian Ashleigh Barty after the fourth-round result.

The 21-year-old found no answer to the accuracy and consistency of the 13th- seeded Swiss as she lost for the third time this year to Bencic in just under 90 minutes under the closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"The challenge cannot be bigger playing Naomi," Bencic said. "She has a lot of power, me not so much. I play like chess and anticipate."

Bencic broke Osaka to love in the fifth game of the second set on a double fault from the Japanese.

In her second US Open quarter-final on Wednesday, Bencic faces Croatian 23rd seed Donna Vekic, who saved a match point as she rallied to a first victory in four meetings with German 26th seed Julia Goerges, 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-3.

Two days after her emotional win over Coco Gauff, Osaka called for the trainer at the following changeover, was given a pill, but was not able to turn around the match again as Bencic served out the match to love.

The defeat will see her slip to fourth in the WTA  rankings, with Barty returning to the top, ahead of Karolina Pliskova and Simona Halep - although all three of them are also already out in New York.

Osaka's elimination also means that the US Open is without both top seeds in the quarter-finals for the first time in the Open era which started in 1968.

Vekic is meanwhile enjoying her best run at the majors with the stunning comeback after last year's Wimbledon semi-finalist Goerges threw away what seemed an assured fourth win in as many meetings with the Croatian.

Goerges slammed 21 aces but committed three of her six double faults serving for the match at 5-4 in the second as Vekic locked the set with four unanswered games.

The German double faulted again to hand Vekic a crucial 5-3 lead in the final set and Vekic served out the match after saving two break points, winning when Goerges hit an overhead long for her 49th unforced error.

"I don't even know how I won this match. She had match point but I kept on fighting," Vekic said.

"It feels pretty amazing. I was just trying to get a return in. I felt confident in the rallies."

Belgian 25th seed Elise Mertens cruised into her first US Open quarter-final with a 6-1 6-1 rout of American wildcard Kristie Ahn.

Mertens hit 17 winners and took advantage of 25 unforced errors from her 141st- ranked opponent to advance to a meeting with American qualifier Taylor Townsend or 15th-seeded Bianca Andreescu.

DPA