Naomi Osaka Wins U.S. Open And Honors Tamir Rice
Naomi Osaka captured her second US Open title in two years on Saturday but it wasn’t without some perseverance.
The 22-year-old won just one game in her opening set against Victoria Azarenka but stormed back to win the last two (1-6, 6-3, 6-3) to win her third Grand Slam title overall.
Osaka becomes the first woman in 25 years to win the US Open after dropping the first set. Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario was the last, who defeated Steffi Graf in 1994.
It was Azarenka who defeated 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the semifinals on Friday.
Osaka’s 2018 US Open victory was her first career major, which was followed by her triumph at the Australian Open in 2019.
Throughout the earlier rounds of this year’s Open, Osaka expressed her desire to wear masks featuring Black men and women who have been killed by police brutality and racism. Before Saturday’s final, she wore a mask bearing the name of Tamir Rice.
