Belinda Bencic celebrates afer her victory over Naomi Osaka in the US Open fourth round. AFP
Belinda Bencic celebrates afer her victory over Naomi Osaka in the US Open fourth round. AFP
Belinda Bencic celebrates afer her victory over Naomi Osaka in the US Open fourth round. AFP
Belinda Bencic celebrates afer her victory over Naomi Osaka in the US Open fourth round. AFP

US Open: Belinda Bencic extends dominance over Naomi Osaka as Donna Vekic outlasts Julia Goerges


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Top-ranked defending champion Naomi Osaka was ousted from the US Open on Monday by Belinda Bencic while Croatian Donna Vekic survived a match point to join the Swiss 13th seed in a quarter-final match-up.

Bencic's 7-5, 6-4 triumph, her WTA-best sixth over a top-five foe this year, ensured 21-year-old Japanese star Osaka will fall from atop the rankings next week and won't become the first repeat US Open winner since Serena Williams in 2014.

"The challenge cannot be bigger against Naomi," Bencic said. "I had to be at the top of my game and I'm really pleased how well I handled my nerves at the end."

Bencic, 22, matched her deepest grand slam run from the 2014 US Open with her third victory of the year over Osaka, having also won at Indian Wells and Madrid.

"She played pretty clean. She had a specific plan she wanted to execute," Osaka said. "I guess just being aggressive."

Australia's Ashleigh Barty, the reigning French Open champion, will move atop the rankings next Monday after the loss by Osaka, who defends her Australian Open title in January.

"I can look at this and be very disappointed and mad, but I'm not mad about it," Osaka said. "I'd like to reach higher rounds. That's definitely what I'll aim for in Australia."

Osaka's exit means there will be four different women's grand slam winners in a season for the third consecutive year, a first in the Open era.

Vekic, the 23rd seed, saved a match point in the second set and made her first Slam quarter-final by rallying past German 26th seed Julia Goerges 6-7, 7-5, 6-3.

"I don't even know how I won this match," Vekic said. "She was serving for the match. She had match point. I just kept fighting and believing I could win. It feels pretty amazing."

Bencic owns a 2-1 career edge over Vekic from two 2014 wins but Vekic won the most recent meeting with her friend and frequent practice partner in this year's French Open third round.

Belgian 25th seed Elise Mertens cruised past 141st-ranked US wildcard Kristie Ahn 6-1, 6-1 in 67 minutes to book a quarter-final berth against 19-year-old Canadian 15th seed Bianca Andreescu.

"I just tried to play my best game," said Mertens, who has dropped only 16 games in four matches.

"I try to improve every time. I try to invest in my game. It's coming out this week and hopefully I can go much further than this."

The only deeper slam run for Mertens was into last year's Australian Open semi-finals while Andreescu, whom the Belgian has never faced, extended her career-best slam performance by defeating 116th-ranked US qualifier Taylor Townsend 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.

Andreescu, a champion this year at Indian Wells and Toronto who could crack the world top 10 next week, improved to 6-0 this year against left-handers.

"It wasn't easy," Andreescu said. "I made sure to work on my passing shots during practice and it worked in the first and third sets. I'm glad I kept my cool at the end."

Andreescu breezed through the first set in 31 minutes, but double faulted to surrender the second set. She broke Townsend to open the third set and again for a 4-1 edge on the way to victory.

It's the first time all eight US Open quarter-finalists have been seeds since 2012 and a first at any Slam since the 2014 Australian Open.

Osaka took a pain-killer to ease nagging knee issues but nothing could help her overcome Bencic.

"I didn't move well. I was always flat-footed. She was aggressive," Osaka said. "The knee was a little bit annoying in the movement aspect but that was something I should have overcome."

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1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min

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Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

OIL PLEDGE

At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.

THE BIO:

Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.

Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.

Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.

Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.

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The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

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Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

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Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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