Naomi Osaka won the most unique of U.S. Open titles on Saturday when she beat Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-3 6-3 to lift the trophy for the second time in three years.
With the hardcourt major being staged without any fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese fourth seed did not let the unusual circumstances distract her as she produced an battling performance to win her third Grand Slam title.
The victory allowed the 22-year-old to maintain her 100 percent winning record in Grand Slam finals while Azarenka was denied a US Open crown for a third time having also finished runner-up in 2012 and 2013.
Still it was a remarkable and unexpected run for the 31-year-old Belarusian, who was playing in her first major final in seven years.
It was the second time in two weeks Azarenka, twice a winner at the Australian Open, and Osaka had set up a final showdown. The pair had been set to meet in the Western and Southern Open final on Aug. 29 until Osaka withdrew due to a hamstring injury.
"I actually don't want to play you in more finals," Osaka told Azarenka with a smile during 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."
Reuters
