NEW YORK — On Tuesday afternoon, the world No 88, within the U.S. Open essential draw as a wildcard, destroyed the tenth seed Jelena Ostapenko within the U.S. Open first spherical.
In concept, that seems like a shock win, however the wildcard in query is Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion right here and one of many greatest attracts of the match.
Osaka could also be a pure introvert, however she has the gravity of a famous person, whilst a wildcard. From her sensational outfit — which on Tuesday included a personalized inexperienced tennis gown and a big inexperienced bow on her jacket — to her eye-catching energy, she had sufficient to pummel Ostapenko right into a 6-3, 6-2 defeat in simply over an hour.
Naomi Osaka produced an virtually error-free show of tennis to dispatch Jelena Ostapenko (Robert Prange / Getty Photographs)
Flushing Meadows is most related together with her two biggest triumphs. She received the U.S. Open title right here in 2018 and 2020, beating Serena Williams within the first remaining on a famously tempestuous event — via no fault of Osaka’s — to announce herself as a star. However three years in the past, it was the location of a breaking level. She threw her racket on a number of events and acquired a code violation for firing a ball into the group throughout an excruciating defeat to Canada’s Leylah Fernandez. When requested about what occurred, she mentioned: “I’m not likely certain why.”
“Not too long ago, I really feel very anxious when issues don’t go my manner,” she mentioned.
Within the three years since, throughout which Osaka has continued to transcend tennis for her openness to discussing its affect on her psychological well being, Osaka had not received a match on the Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle.
She returned to the game in late December after giving delivery to her daughter, Shai, and upon beating Ostapenko she seemed to the sky as tears flowed, overcome by the emotion of her first victory in New York since 2021. There was rather a lot to course of, however what truly set Osaka off went again to her childhood.
“It was a mixture of a variety of various things,” she mentioned after her victory.
“I grew up right here, so simply seeing children, after which remembering my daughter, but additionally seeing children coming and watching me play… And simply remembering that I used to be a child, I assume a very long time in the past, made me very emotional,” Osaka mentioned.
Her thoughts additionally went again to this time final 12 months when together with her daughter not even two months previous, Osaka watched on from the stands as Coco Gauff received on her option to profitable the title. Osaka didn’t know then whether or not she might reclaim the extent that made her a champion right here twice, took her to world No 1, and introduced her two extra Grand Slam titles, each in Australia.
That feeling has carried on all through a lot of 2024, which noticed her start her comeback after 15 months away from the tour on New 12 months’s Eve. The primary half of the season included some promising outcomes, together with a barnstorming French Open conflict with world No 1 Iga Swiatek, however the previous couple of months have been powerful. They’ve prompted introspection.
After a disappointing loss within the Cincinnati qualifiers to Ashlyn Krueger, Osaka once more opened up.
“My greatest concern at present isn’t losses, although, my greatest concern is that I don’t really feel like I’m in my physique.”
Osaka, laying down on Arthur Ashe after profitable the title in 2020, has opened up about her struggles in returning to tennis (Matthew Stockman / Getty Photographs)
It was a startling admission and maybe mirrored the stress Osaka was feeling. All year long, the message from these near her had been that the previous world No 1 must be judged not on the promise of the clay and grass swings, wherein she discovered her toes, however throughout the summer time hard-court season.
On her favorite floor, Osaka would come alive.
“It’s virtually, like, you’ve got a deadline and also you’re crunching at midnight to attempt to make it,” Osaka mentioned on Tuesday concerning the narrowing window she has to ship on onerous courts this 12 months. Till Tuesday, her greatest particular person efficiency had remained that beautiful night time match on the French Open, the place she held a match level towards Swiatek. Within the two greatest hard-court occasions forward of the U.S. Open, Osaka misplaced within the second spherical on the Canadian Open after which didn’t qualify for Cincinnati.
Even giving herself the grace of returning to the tour after giving delivery, Osaka was impatient and anxious. She likened her discomfort on court docket to how she had felt generally postpartum. Determined to really feel herself once more in competitors, on Tuesday that feeling returned.
The Louis Armstrong Stadium fizzed with anticipation after Osaka’s two-year absence. A hanging matchup towards Ostapenko, a top-10 participant who can come alive on the most important events — and has an unbeaten report towards Swiatek — solely added to the sensation that this match, like Osaka and Swiatek’s second-round encounter in Paris, would befit a late-stage event quite than an opener. Osaka, world No 88 or not, retains the gravity of all she has finished within the sport regardless of her rating.
The match began evenly, however from the second Osaka broke at 4-3 within the first set, the result was by no means unsure. She began to hit her forehand with growing freedom and venom; Ostapenko, a former French Open champion, had no reply.
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Osaka celebrated factors with loud “come ons” and fist pumps and the group matched her noise and vitality. In what was an excellent exhibition of managed aggression, she didn’t lose her serve all through and banged down 9 aces to safe a primary win over a top-10 opponent for greater than 4 years. After Osaka had clinched the victory with a cross-court forehand winner, she sat down and coated her face with a towel because the tears poured out.
“Simply seeing the stadium actually full, it meant rather a lot as a result of I used to be, like, ‘Oh, I hope individuals come watch me play,’” she mentioned afterwards.
She adopted up that piece of disarming modesty by laying down the gauntlet in probably the most softly spoken and understated manner possible.
“I really feel like for me, this court docket is my residence — it provides me a lot extra confidence.”
She additionally had additional motivation to beat Ostapenko on Tuesday, understanding that if she did, she would get the prospect to put on the opposite outfit she had prepared for the match. “That was essential to me,” Osaka mentioned with a smile.
The place this run will lead is in query. Osaka subsequent faces final 12 months’s semifinalist Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, with one other alternative for a press release victory. Earlier than all of that, she will soak in a win towards a top-tier opponent and the U.S. Open can as soon as once more revel within the gravitational pull of a tennis famous person.
(High photograph: Robert Prange/Getty Photographs)
