THE Tokyo 2020 Olympics women’s tennis draw is the gift that keeps on giving, with the upsets continuing as the Round of 16 came to a close. Two top five seeds fell in a tough day at the office, as three unseeded competitors remain in the draw and look to press their case for a medal.

While there were a number of upsets on the day, the major one saw the face of the Olympics in Naomi Osaka fall at the third hurdle, going down to Czech talent Marketa Vondrousova in a shock 6-1 6-4 result. Not looking like her usual self throughout the contest, Osaka struggled to build pressure off her serve and piled on 32 unforced errors throughout as Vondrousova powered through for a stunning victory.

“I think this is one of the biggest [wins of my career], for sure,” Vondrousova said. “I beat Simona [Halep] twice, but I think Naomi, she is the greatest now, the greatest in the game, and she’s also the face of the Olympics. It was tough for her, I think, to play like this. But I’m too happy now.”

“I needed to change the rhythm because from the back she is amazing both sides, so I knew I had to play slice and drop shots, my lefty serve – that was my plan today.

“I knew she was going to serve better [in the second set], so I was trying to put many returns into play. The end was very tight – it could have gone both ways, so I’m just happy to be through.”

While Vondrousova played an excellent match, hitting 18 winners (four aces) for 10 unforced errors, she gave credit where credit was due, as the pressure on Osaka mounted on home soil in Japan.

“It’s so much pressure, I cannot imagine,” she said. “I know how it is to be under pressure, it’s tough. But I think she didn’t play a bad match – she was fighting all match, staying calm, and she was fighting until the very end.”

“For me, I feel like I should be used to it by now,” Osaka said. “But at the same time, I think the scale of everything is a bit higher because of the break that I took. I’m glad I didn’t lose in the first round, at least.

“I’m really glad to be here,” she added. “I’m sad that I lost, of course, but all in all really happy with my first Olympic experience.”

Fifth seed Karolina Pliskova was the second to fall, going down to fiery Italian Camila Giorgi who ran away with a 6-4 6-2 victory. With just three winners to Giorgi’s 17, Pliskova struggled to maintain energy as the Italian claimed the 75-minute victory. In-form eighth seed Barbora Krejcikova also went down but did not make it easy for her opposition in Belinda Bencic, as she took out the first set 1-6 with the help of a rain delay. But the Swiss ninth seed came back in the second and did not relent, eventually claiming the 1-6 6-2 6-3 victory.

In another seed versus seed battle it was fourth seed Elina Monfils who claimed victory over 14th seed Maria Sakkari in a tough three setter, as Sakkari – like Krejcikova – took out the first before the Ukrainian bit back to claim the 5-7 6-3 6-4 victory. Monfils is now the highest ranked seed remaining, following Ash Barty, Osaka and Aryna Sablenka‘s shock losses. Also joining the winners list were seventh seed Spaniard Garbine Muguruza and her compatriot Paula Badosa, as well as 13th sed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and 15th seed Elena Rybakina.

OLYMPICS ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:

Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) defeated [2] Naomi Osaka (JPN) 6-1 6-4
[4] Elina Monfils (UKR) defeated [14] Maria Sakkari (GRE) 5-7 6-3 6-4
Camila Giorgi (ITA) defeated [5] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 6-4 6-2
[7] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) defeated Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 6-4 6-1
[9] Belinda Bencic (SUI) defeated [8] Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) 1-6 6-2 6-3
[13] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (ROC) defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 6-1 6-3
[15] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) defeated Donna Vekic (CRO) 7-6 6-4
Paula Badosa (ESP) defeated Nadia Podoroska (ARG) 6-2 6-3

Picture credit: TIZIANA FABI/AFP