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US Open: Britain's Lily Miyazaki admits she has the game to 'disrupt' top players despite early exit

Yuriko Lily Miyazaki, of Great Britain in action at the US Open

Lily Miyazaki’s US Open adventure was ended in the second round by Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.

The 27-year-old came through three matches to qualify at Flushing Meadows for the first time and then picked up a maiden grand slam win against Margarita Betova in round one.

But the world number 198 found 15th seed Bencic, of Switzerland, too tough a nut to crack as she bowed out 6-3 6-3.

Miyazaki still leaves New York with the consolation prize of having virtually doubled her earnings for the year with a £98,000 pay day for winning her first-round match.

A break early in the first set and two in the second set proved her undoing, although she did break the Bencic serve late on, prompting the 26-year-old to fling her racket to the ground.

But ultimately Bencic, a former semi-finalist, was too strong for the Tokyo-born debutant and broke again to seal the victory.

Miyazaki was one of seven British players to reach the second round, the most since 1977.

She said: “I think we all push each other on, and it’s great to see everyone doing well. I think it inspires everyone else.

“Unfortunately I’m the first one to lose. But yeah, it’s been great to be a part of that.

“I think I’ve learnt that if I put my level out there, then I have the game to disrupt other players’ games.

“Even today I felt like once I got into the points I was able to play my game and kind of control the points pretty well so I think I can take a lot of confidence from that.”

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