Japanese tennis players Sakazume and Sakamoto exit US Open

Japanese tennis players Himeno Sakazume and Rei Sakamoto both exited the US Open in early rounds despite strong performances.

In the women's singles first round, world No. 144 Himeno Sakazume lost a grueling three-hour match to world No. 40 Cristina Bucsa. The match went to a full set with scores of 6-7, 7-6, and 6-7. Sakazume narrowly missed becoming the first Japanese woman besides Naomi Osaka to reach the third round of a Grand Slam since 2017.

In the men's singles second round, 20-year-old Rei Sakamoto, ranked 157th, fell to 11th seed Frances Tiafoe in straight sets, 3-6, 6-7, 5-7. Sakamoto, who had successfully navigated the qualifying rounds, was unable to replicate his first-round form, ending the quest for the first Japanese male to reach the third round since Kei Nishikori in 2021.