The Latest: Defending champ Kerber knocked out of US Open

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NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year (all times local):

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2:19 p.m.

Angelique Kerber is gone from the U.S. Open, the first defending champion eliminated in the first round in 12 years.

The sixth-seeded German is out of the tournament and on her way out of the top 10 after being beaten by Naomi Osaka of Japan 6-3, 6-1 in one of the only completed matches on a rainy Tuesday.

Kerber and Osaka had the stage to themselves after play was suspended on all courts other than Arthur Ashe Stadium, which has a retractable roof that was closed midway through No. 1 Karolina Pliskova’s 6-2, 6-1 victory over Magda Linette of Poland.

Kerber then took the same court where she beat Pliskova for the title last year and took another stinging defeat in what’s been a season-long slump since winning her second Grand Slam title.

The left-hander fell to 25-18 with no titles in 2017 after she was No. 1 last year.

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1:50 p.m.

The defending women’s champion is down a set in the only match going on at the U.S. Open.

Naomi Osaka took the first set 6-3 from sixth-seeded Angelique Kerber under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Play is suspended at least until 3 p.m. on all other courts because of rain.

Kerber has had a disappointing year after winning here last year for her second Grand Slam title. The German is just 25-17 with no titles in 2017 and has fallen to No. 6. She will need to reach at least the round of 16 to remain in the top 10.

The last defending women’s champion to lose in the first round was Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2005.

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12:51 p.m.

Play has been suspended by rain at the U.S. Open on all courts except Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Players have returned to the locker room. A light rain began falling earlier but play was able to continue for a time as workers wiped the courts dry along the lines when necessary.

Ashe has a retractable roof, so No. 1 Karolina Pliskova was able to finish her first-round victory after it was closed between sets. Play was to continue on Ashe as scheduled, with defending champion Angelique Kerber set to begin her match against Naomi Osaka of Japan at 1 p.m.

Rain is in the forecast for Tuesday afternoon.

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12:38 p.m.

No. 1 seed Karolina Pliskova has won her first-round match at the U.S. Open.

Pliskova beat Magda Linette of Poland 6-2, 6-1, slowed only when the players had to break so the retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium could be closed.

The roof closed between sets with light rain falling. Pliskova then quickly finished off the match once play resumed.

Fellow Czech Barbora Strycova also advanced quickly to the second round. The No. 23 seed beat Misaki Doi of Japan 6-1, 6-3.

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12:08 p.m.

The roof has been closed at Arthur Ashe Stadium as light rain falls at the U.S. Open.

Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova won the first set 6-2 against Magda Linette of Poland, then the players waited between sets while the retractable roof was closed.

Last year was the first with the roof covering the main stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Next year, a new Louis Armstrong Stadium will also have a retractable roof.

Staffers wiped the outer courts while fans began raising umbrellas, with hopes that matches would be able to resume quickly.

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11:42 a.m.

Elina Svitolina is into the second set before many fans have even entered the grounds.

The fourth-seeded Ukrainian won the first set 6-0 against Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic in less than a half-hour.

Svitolina has a WTA Tour-leading five titles in 2017 and her 45 match victories rank second to Caroline Wozniacki.

Svitolina then won the first game of the second set before Siniakova finally got on the board.

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11:03 a.m.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will play their opening-round matches, while women’s No. 1 seed Karolina Pliskova is also in action on the second day of the U.S. Open.

Nadal, who has returned to No. 1, faces Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic in an afternoon match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Federer, seeded third, meets young American Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday night under the lights.

Federer, a five-time U.S. Open champion, is 16-0 in first-round matches at the U.S. Open. Nadal is also unbeaten, going 12-0 while winning the title twice.

Pliskova is scheduled for the first match on Ashe when the Czech faces Magda Linette of Poland.

Defending women’s champion Angelique Kerber of Germany and 2009 men’s champion Juan Martin del Potro are also on the schedule, with rain in the forecast for later in the day.

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More AP tennis coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-Tennis

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Angelique Kerber, of Germany, returns a shot from Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
http://www.wnewsj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2017/08/web1_118239120-7fee175a8ac04f8684122d8cc307799f.jpgAngelique Kerber, of Germany, returns a shot from Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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