NEW YORK, Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Naomi Osaka came back to defeat Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday, in the women’s U.S. Open final, which was played in front of a mostly-empty Arthur Ashe stadium, in Queens, New York.
The win marks Osaka’s second U.S. Open crown, and it was the third Grand Slam title overall for the 22-year-old star. For the first time since 1994, in the women’s final, the woman who lost the first set of the U.S. Open final, won the next two sets to claim victory.
Before the match, Osaka stepped onto the court wearing a mask with Tamir Rice’s name on it – throughout the tournament she wore several different masks, bearing the names of Black victims of violence, including Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Philando Castile. Both Osaka and her coach said, her off-court activism has helped her energy and mindset during matches.
As for the match itself, she turned to Azarenka and said, “I actually don’t want to play you in more finals. I didn’t really enjoy that.” The remark was intended as a compliment.
The intensity of Azarenka’s opening had been striking. And intimidating too, for there is something about her fierce, businesslike manner on the court that makes tennis feel like a martial art.
For Osaka, it must have felt like taking a bucket of icy water in the face. Azarenka worked her from side to side so ruthlessly that every shot was hit off balance. The breath was knocked out of her early on, and then she never seemed to catch it again for the rest of the match.– NNN-AGENCIES
“What was the message that you got was more the question. I feel like the point is to make people start talking.”
Naomi Osaka explained why she wore seven facemasks to honor Black victims of racial injustice. pic.twitter.com/Vd0kqqmRP1