Former world number one Naomi Osaka won the U.S. Open title after defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on Saturday.
Osaka came from a set down to triumph in three sets 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to claim her second title at Flushing Meadows and third Grand Slam overall in one hour and 53 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Azarenka, who overcame 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the semifinals, broke Osaka’s serve thrice to race through the first set 1-6 in just under half an hour.
Osaka, the fourth seed, seemed on the verge of a bruising defeat after she lost serve and trailed 0-2 in the second set but she then broke back immediately, leveled the set and went on to break the Belarusian twice to seal the set 6-3 and take the final into a deciding set.
Osaka broke Azarenka’s serve in the fourth game and took a 4-1 lead but Azarenka, also a former world number one, fought back and made it 4-3 as Osaka lost serve in the seventh game.
However, Osaka broke back and converted her second match point to claim the deciding set and the title.
It was Osaka’s second win at the tournament in three years. Her title-winning run at the Grand Slam was also significant as she always wore a new mask for every match bearing the name of a Black victim of alleged police or racist violence in the United States. She did this to highlight racial injustice in the United States in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
In reaching the final, she played seven matches meaning she displayed the names of six different people. The six were: Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile and Tamir Rice.
After the final, Osaka described her win as “an incredible moment” saying she was “really glad I did it.”
“In the end all I focus on is what I can control on the tennis court. That’s what I did [in 2018]. I feel like that’s what I did this time.”
