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'Never seen this': Tennis world shocked as crowd turns on Naomi Osaka

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·5-min read
Naomi Osaka (pictured left) reacting after losing a point and (pictured right) taking her time at the back of the court, which drew the ire of the US Open crowd.
Naomi Osaka (pictured left) was frustrated during her third round US Open loss and was even booed by the crowd after taking her time (pictured right) moments before her loss. (Images: Getty Images/Twitter)

The tennis world was left in disbelief as the US Open crowd booed Naomi Osaka only moments before she was knocked out of the final Grand Slam of year.

Osaka, seeking her fifth grand slam title and third US Open crown in four years, immediately found herself in a tough match with Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez after winning a tight first set.

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However, things started to fall apart when she lost four points in a row during the tiebreak.

Unable to close out the match, Osaka stunned viewers after throwing her racquet up to three times in frustration.

She then received a warning when she hit a ball into the crowd.

The unusual outburst from Osaka had many fans scratching their heads.

However, the strangest part was yet to come.

After the brilliant Fernandez took the lead in the deciding set, Osaka needed to break the Canadian to remain in the match.

Naomi Osaka (pictured) reacts to a lost point during a tie break against Leylah Fernandez during her Women's Singles third round match on Day Five at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 03, 2021 in New York City.
Naomi Osaka (pictured) reacts to a lost point during a tie break against Leylah Fernandez during her Women's Singles third round match on Day Five at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 03, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) (Elsa via Getty Images)

At 0-30 down and many in the crowd cheering on the youngster, Osaka took some time at the back of the court to regain some composure.

However, many in Arthur Ashe Stadium took exception to her move and proceeded to shower Osaka with boos.

"Wow. The crowd is booing that Osaka took that much time," the commentator said in surprise.

Moments later, Fernandez closed out the match to a huge cheer.

Fans watching around the world were left in disbelief that the notoriously fickle US Open crowd had booed Osaka during the match.

Spectators were not only shocked by Osaka's racquet smashing, but the crowd turning on the four-time Grand Slam champion.

Osaka entered the US Open with little match practice after withdrawing from Roland Garros and skipping Wimbledon in 2021 to look after her mental health.

After a short Tokyo Olympics campaign, Osaka entered the final grand slam of the year looking to build her way into the competition.

The defending champion won her opening round match before she advanced to the third round of the US Open without having to step onto court after Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic withdrew due to illness.

Unfortunately, the two-time US Open winner wasn't able to find the form that has seen her dominate hard court competitions over the last few years

US Open crowd divides with Stefanos Tsitsipas boos

The crowd in New York had already created uproar earlier, when boos echoed around the stadium during the tense five-set thriller between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Carlos Alcaraz.

The young Spaniard upset the World No.3, but the crowd was so anti-Tsitsipas that some spectators from other courts took to social media and claimed they could hear the heckling.

This sparked controversy.

The pair put on arguably the match of the tournament, but the crowd were cheering many of Tsistipas' mistakes.

Viewers became divided over the treatment of Tsitsipas, considering he hadn't broken any rules under the Grand Slam laws.

Many felt the booing was excessive and the crowd should have been more partisan considering the high-quality level of tennis on show.

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