New York, 28 August 2024 (TDI): An emotional Naomi Osaka made a triumphant US Open return by defeating Jelena Ostapenko in a blockbuster first-round match.
Japan’s Osaka is a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows, winning the first of her 4 Grand Slam titles in New York in 2018 and repeating the feat in 2020.
She missed 2023 tournament after giving birth to daughter Shai but watched from the crowd, which reignited her desire to play.
The former world number one faced a challenging task against Latvian 10th seed Ostapenko, but came through 6-3 6-2 in just 63 minutes.
Osaka covered her face with her towel as she cried tears of joy and relief after the victory, and became emotional again in her on-court interview.
“I tried not to cry when I was walking out,” she said.
“I remember last year I was watching Coco [Gauff] play and I desred to step on these courts again”, Osaka added.
Osaka, who also claimed the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021 titles, spoke before the US Open about not feeling “like I’m in my body” since her return from maternity leave.
She gave birth to daughter Shai in July last year and returned to the WTA Tour in January.
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Although she has had some remarkable performances – including coming within touching distance of beating eventual champion Iga Swiatek at the French Open – she has not gone beyond the quarter-finals of any event.
She also has a challenging draw in New York, with former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova awaiting in the second round.
