Naomi Osaka Wins the 2020 US Open

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Kate Larrick, Staff Writer

22-year-old Naomi Osaka became the first Asian woman to win three Grand Slam singles titles after a close game against Victoria Azarenka at the 2020 U.S. Open on Sept. 12. 

The match started out with a startling 6-1 win by Azarenka, a former world No. 1 in women’s singles. Although it had been 25 years since the loser of the first set in a U.S. Open women’s final came back to win, Osaka did not let her initial setback keep her down. She went on to clutch both of the next two sets with a score of 6-3.

Osaka later told ESPN that her strategy was to “start thinking point by point” instead of thinking about winning the whole game. Clearly, her strategy worked; her victory marked her second U.S. Open win and her third major championship title. 

Throughout the tournament, Osaka did more than just secure her second U.S. Open trophy. For each of the seven matches she played, Osaka wore a different face mask printed with the name of a Black person killed as a result of law enforcement misconduct or racial injustice. Over the course of the tournament, viewers saw the names Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Elijah McClain.

Osaka later said that her intent was to draw attention to the ongoing injustice in the U.S. “I wanted more people to say more names,” she said in a post-victory interview. 

Martina Navratilova, highly considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, applauded Osaka’s advocacy on Twitter: “Social justice and sports do mix–and quite nicely–congratulations!” Osaka also received a congratulatory video from the family of George Floyd and praise from LeBron James. 

Naomi Osaka rose to prominence in 2014 when she defeated Samantha Stosur, the winner of the 2011 U.S. Open. Osaka was only 16 years old and ranked No. 406th in the world at the time. By the end of the year, she was ranked No. 144, and she would only move up from there. Her first U.S. Open win was in 2018 against Serena Williams, which Osaka described as “bittersweet” due to the heated dispute between Williams and the umpire and the strong negative reaction from supporters of Williams. 

Osaka is also known for her unique heritage: she was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father and moved to the United States at age three. She relinquished her American citizenship when she was 21 in order to represent Japan in global tournaments. 

After winning the U.S. Open, Osaka credited the late Kobe Bryant for inspiring her with a post of her wearing his jersey. She told an interviewer, “I just want to be the type of person that he thought I was going to be. He thought I was going to be great, so hopefully I will be great in the future.” Osaka’s humility is notable; she is currently the highest paid female athlete in the world, and she still has plenty of time to grow.

 

Photo courtesy of OLYMPICS.NBCSPORTS.COM