Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Osaka Comes Back, Bests Azarenka at US Open

Associated Press

   NEW YORK - After one errant forehand in the first set of the U.S. Open
   final, Naomi Osaka looked at her coach in the mostly empty Arthur Ashe
   Stadium stands with palms up, as if to say, "What the heck is
   happening?"

   Surprisingly off-kilter in the early going Saturday, Osaka kept missing
   shots and digging herself a deficit. But suddenly, she lifted her game,
   and Victoria Azarenka couldn't sustain her start. By the end, Osaka had
   pulled away to a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback victory for her second U.S.
   Open championship and third Grand Slam title overall.

   "I just thought this would be very embarrassing, to lose this in less
   than an hour," said Osaka, who dropped down to lie on the court after
   winning.

   A quarter-century had passed since the last time the woman who lost the
   first set of a U.S. Open final wound up winning: In 1994, Arantxa
   Sanchez Vicario did it against Steffi Graf.

   No fun

   "I actually don't want to play you in more finals," a smiling Osaka
   told Azarenka afterward. "I didn't enjoy that."

   Osaka, a 22-year-old born in Japan and now based in the United States,
   added to her trophies from the 2018 U.S. Open -- earned with a
   brilliant performance in a memorably chaotic final against Serena
   Williams -- and 2019 Australian Open.

   The 23,000-plus seats in the main arena at Flushing Meadows were not
   entirely unclaimed, just mostly so -- while fans were not allowed to
   attend because of the coronavirus pandemic, dozens of people who worked
   at the tournament attended -- and the cavernous place was not entirely
   silent, just mostly so.

.