US Open 2018: 5 things to know about first-time Grand Slam finalist Naomi Osaka
With a 6-3, 6-0 win over Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, Serena Williams entered the 31st Grand Slam final of her illustrious career at the US Open 2018. It is astonishing to see her keep on adding to her achievements even at the age of 36. This latest Major final will be the ninth occasion for Serena to be a contender for the US Open title.
Images of Serena winning the title as a 17-year-old are being circulated over the internet and it is a testimony to arguably the greatest female star the game has ever seen.
But the interesting fact about the final is that Serena will come up against a player who was 2 years old when Serena won her first title. Yes, we are talking about Naomi Osaka. The World No. 19 has so much resemblance to a young Serena, in terms of the the power game, tracer-bullet like serve and some bright clothing.
Osaka moved to the States from Japan when she was 3, but she represents the latter, the birthplace of her mother, in the international circuit.
After her convincing 6-2, 6-4 win over last year’s finalist Madison Keys, she was asked how she managed to save each of the 13 break points she faced. Her answer was, "This is gonna sound really bad, but I was just thinking I really wanna play Serena.”
Here we look at few things that define Osaka:
1. She has faced Serena before on the court
The only time Osaka met Serena on the court was this year in March where she defeated the 23-time Grand Slam champion, 6-3, 6-2, in Miami. It was Williams's second tournament after her comeback from a maternity leave.
The interesting fact here is that she and her sister were encouraged to take up tennis as a sport by their father after having watched the Williams sisters live at the 1999 French Open. The fact, that it was Serena's career that opened up the path for many to follow her, will make this final even more important.