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Naomi Osaka won the 2020 US Open. The Japanese defeated Belarusian Victoria Asarenka 1: 6, 6: 3, 6: 3 in the final in New York. For the 22-year-old, it’s the second US Open win after 2018 and the third Grand Slam title overall. She has won all three major finals of her career so far. For Asarenka it was the third final loss at the US Open, in 2012 and 2013 she had lost to Serena Williams. In the same years, she had previously won her two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open.
Osaka started the game incorrectly, while Asarenka played hard early on, came back strong as usual and did almost nothing wrong. Osaka lost his first service game, which was unusually far behind the baseline and produced several unforced errors. Asarenka managed a second break early to make it 4-1. By then, Osaka had made more than three times as many unforced errors than in the entire semifinal against Jennifer Brady. However, with Asarenka it worked a lot. In her first four service games, the 31-year-old only had to go over the second attempt once. The first set ended at 26 minutes.
Osaka comes into play, Azarenka’s serve falters
In the second round, Asarenka took her opponent’s serve immediately. For the former world number one, the third Grand Slam title after the 2012 Australian Open seemed to be within reach in 2013, but Osaka got better in the game and secured a new direct break. Now the service of the 22-year-old Japanese has improved. In the first set, Osaka, who is considered one of the best servers in the world, did not even win half the points on his first serve. Now Azarenka was suddenly making unnecessary mistakes.
The sovereignty of the first set could no longer be seen with the world number 27, and the first serve no longer came reliably. Osaka increasingly took control of the rallies and played harder. When the score was 3: 3 Osaka achieved a second break, the third brought the world number four 6: 3 and set compensation.
The decision-making process was narrow. Asarenka did not play as well as in the first set, but better than in the second. However, Osaka seemed to have made the preliminary decision after five games. Asarenka had had to resign from his service previously and had three break opportunities, but Osaka was able to turn them all down.
But Asarenka struggled to bounce back, served her next serve despite Osaka’s break opportunities and then managed the re-break to 3: 4. But Osaka took the game again, made another break, and then carried her service game to win. title.
Osaka comments on Black Lives Matter
When asked about his comeback after losing the first set, he said it would have been embarrassing to lose here in less than an hour.
Osaka didn’t just write sports headlines in New York. Before every game in New York, he wore a face mask that had the name of a victim of police brutality in the United States. On the day of the final, he remembered Tamir Rice, who was shot and killed by a police officer in 2014 at the age of twelve. During the award ceremony, he was asked what message he wanted to send with his gestures. Your response: “What message did you get?”
