Japanese Player Sakamoto Loses in US Open Second Round
Listen to the story
Japanese tennis player Rei Sakamoto has been knocked out of the US Open in the second round.
He lost to a player who is currently ranked world number 12. This player was much stronger during the match.
The US Open is one of the four biggest tennis tournaments in the world. It is known as a Grand Slam event.
Sakamoto's opponent has now moved into the third round of the competition. This player is named Pegula.
Sakamoto is now out of the tournament. He will not play any more matches in this year's US Open.
A photo report about the match focused on Sakamoto's backhand, which is one of the key shots in tennis.
The result shows how difficult it can be for lower-ranked players to beat top players at Grand Slam events.
Pegula will now prepare for the next match, hoping to continue advancing through the tournament.
Vocabulary10 words
- Sakamoto
- the Japanese tennis player in this story
- second round
- the second stage of matches in a tournament
- world number 12
- ranked as the 12th best player globally
- Grand Slam
- one of the four most important tennis tournaments
- third round
- the stage after the second round
- Pegula
- the player who beat Sakamoto and moved forward
- backhand
- a tennis shot hit with the back of the hand facing the ball
- result
- the final outcome of a match
- opponent
- the person a player competes against
- ranked
- placed in order based on skill or performance
Quiz
Answer key
1. The US Open 2. It is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Japanese tennis player Rei Sakamoto has been _____ out of the US Open in the second round.
He lost to a player who is currently ranked world number _____.
The US Open is one of the four biggest tennis _____ in the world.
Sakamoto's opponent has now moved into the _____ round of the competition.
This player is named _____.
Sakamoto is now _____ of the tournament.
A photo report about the match focused on Sakamoto's _____.
The _____ shows how difficult it can be for lower-ranked players to beat top players.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think top-ranked players usually win against lower-ranked ones?
- Have you ever watched a Grand Slam tennis tournament? What did you think of it?
- What skills do you think are most important for winning in tennis?
- Do you follow any tennis players from your own country?