Four years since her second US Open title – and days after she was granted a wild card to this year’s tournament – it was fair to wonder what kind of level we would see from Naomi Osaka in the first round against world No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko.
The answer was resounding, as Osaka marked her return to New York from last year’s maternity leave with an emphatic 6-3, 6-2 win.
The match, which followed a Danielle Collins-Caroline Dolehide marathon beforehand on Louis Armstrong, lasted barely over an hour and served as a reminder of Osaka’s brilliance – at least when she’s purring with this much confidence.
The last few years have been spent in something of tennis wilderness for Osaka, who has been open about her mental health struggles. She’s lost in the first or second round of every other Slam this year.
Even in victory, the weight of those trials were too much for Osaka to hide after the match, as the soft-spoken star got choked up as she spoke about missing the tournament last year as she was cheered by the crowd.
Naomi Osaka looked back to her best with a superb opening round US Open win
She appeared emotional in the moments after her dominant victory in New York
‘I was trying not to cry when I walked out,’ she said. ‘Last year I watched Coco (Gauff) play and I so badly wanted to step on these courts again. I don’t know if I could. I don’t know if athletically physically if I was able to.
‘Just to win this match and to be in this atmosphere means so much to me. So thank you.’
If there was any self-doubt for the Japan-born player on Tuesday, she didn’t show it as she swaggered around the court in an eye-catching lime green outfit and beat one of the world’s best players with relative ease.
This was the four-time Slam champion Osaka, and the New York crowd was delighted to have at least a glimpse of her back.
The first set, really, was better for Osaka than even the comfortable 6-3 scoreline might have suggested.
She didn’t make a single unforced error and was even imperious on her second serve, winning 7/9 points in that fashion.
Her service dominance continued in the second set, as she at one point fired three straight aces to go up 3-1.
She eventually found herself serving for the match up 5-2 – where she wobbled, but ultimately got over the line after finding herself in a 15-40 hole.
Two match points were also spurned in the deuce before she eventually got over the line, with one crowd member loudly calling her an ‘icon’ before a pivotal point.
She would get her winner soon after with a beautiful cross-court backhand, and the adoring US Open fans will get to watch her for at least another match.
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