Angelique Kerber became the second women’s defending champion to lose in the U.S. Open first round when she was crushed 6-3 6-1 by 19-year-old Japanese Naomi Osaka on Tuesday.
The German sixth seed, who has not won a title since winning at Flushing Meadows last year, never got into the match against the 2016 WTA newcomer of the year.
The last defending women’s champion to lose in the first round in New York was Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2005.
