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Naomi Osaka keeps the slate clean in the Grand Slam finals: two years after her first title at the US Open, the Japanese is once again queen of New York.
In the final, the former world number one prevailed over Belarus’ Viktoria Asarenka after a miserable start with 1: 6, 6: 3, 6: 3 and secured the third title after the US Open 2018 and the Australian Open 2019. in his third grand finale. .
For Asarenka it was the third loss in the US Open final. In 2012 and 2013 she lost to Serena Williams. In the same years, she won her only two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open. (the game to read on the live ticker)
After that, she was rejected for injuries and a crisis of form, and after the birth of her son Leo in 2016, she had a custody dispute with the boy’s father. California, where the 31-year-old lived, was unable to leave until mid-2018.
Osaka rises to third place
Osaka, 22, who climbed to third place in the world rankings, also experienced satisfaction in New York after a few setbacks. After her two Grand Slam titles, she was number one in the world, but the Japanese could not cope with the high expectations afterwards, in the next four major tournaments she did not make it past the second round.
“My mentality is very different from two years ago,” he said before the final: “I have learned a lot through ups and downs. I am stronger mentally and I feel more fit.”
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At Flushing Meadows, Osaka not only shone athletically on the court, but also as a voice against police violence and racism. Before every game in New York, she wore a mask with the name of a victim of police brutality in the United States. Saturday reminded Tamir Rice, the student was shot and killed by a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio in 2014 at the age of twelve.
Osaka coach Wim Fissette, who led German number one Angelique Kerber to victory at Wimbledon in 2018, saw his protégé start off nervously and made an unusually large number of mistakes.
Asarenka got off to a good start
Asarenka, on the other hand, was very focused and dominated the game with her right controlled. When the score was 1: 4, Osaka threw her bat in exasperation, and Asarenka converted her first set in just 26 minutes.
In Osaka and Asarenka, the two best players since Corona’s interruption faced off. Already in the preparatory tournament in the same place they were both in the final, but Osaka had to go through problems with his left hamstrings.
In the second set everything went in the direction of Azarenka again, and again she took Osaka’s serve to make it 2-0. But the Japanese, prepared for imminent defeat, managed to reappear directly. Suddenly, the opponent staggered as Osaka played more and more freed and grew more powerful. With another break, he got the second round.
Osaka turns the tide with fury
Osaka now radiated immense self-confidence, Asarenka held out against him; it was finally the expected high-class exchange of blows.
The break to 3: 1 gave the Japanese more tailwind, immediately afterwards she defended herself from three break opportunities from her opponent. Asarenka fought tenaciously and after the rebreak at 3: 4 she brought hope again.
However, when he resigned from his service, there was no way to stop Osaka.
