Naomi Osaka beat Victoria Azarenka in a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback to claim second US Open title in three years—after she beat Serena Williams in 2018—at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Azarenka, who ended Serena Williams bid for a record equalling 24th Grand Slam title in the semifinals, carried that momentum into the final with a near flawless first set. But, Osaka found her composure from the second set, winning five aces.
"I actually don't want to play you in more finals," Osaka told Azarenka at the victory ceremony. "I didn't really enjoy that. That was a really tough match for me. And yes, really inspiring for me because I used to watch you play here when I was younger so just to have the opportunity to play you is really great and I learned a lot."
Osaka had beat Jennifer Brady 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3, in the semifinals. Osaka put her activism front-and-center from the start, wearing a mask to honor Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by police officers in the US who burst into her apartment in March. Osaka, who was born in Japan to a Haitian father and Japanese mother, spent her formative years in the United States and lives in Los Angeles.
Azarenka had rallied to beat Williams 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 before advancing to the finals, and her bid for third major title. Azarenka, who gave birth to a son in 2016, says being a parent is the most important thing in her life but added that "I'm a tennis player on the court, I'm a fighter on the court." She added that, "being a parent is the toughest thing. So once you can balance that, you can do anything."
-Inputs from agencies
