Naomi Osaka burst into tears as she stunned world No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko in the first round of the US Open. The two-time former champion was making her return to Flushing Meadows after two years.
And she made a statement, earning her first top-10 victory since 2020.
There were plenty of question marks surrounding Osaka ahead of the US Open. She ousted Ons Jabeur in Canada but lost in the second round and failed to qualify for the Cincinnati Open.
The former world No. 1 faced a blockbuster match in her US Open return, drawing Ostapenko in the first round. Taking to the court in a neon outfit adorned with bows – previously proclaiming it her “best outfit ever” – she made light work of the 2018 French Open champion and needed just over an hour to seat a 6-3 6-2 victory.
After shaking hands with her opponent, Osaka started crying when she waved to the crowd and soaked up the atmosphere. The 26-year-old returned to her bench and continued sobbing, covering her face with a towel.
The tears continued to fall as she stepped up for her on-court interview with Pam Shriver. And Osaka revealed that she almost cried when she walked out onto Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“I was trying not to cry when I was walking out too,” Osaka started, giggling as she said hi to the fans. “I remember last year I was watching Coco [Gauff] play and I so badly wanted to step on these courts again and I didn’t know if I could. I didn’t know athletically, physically if I was able to. Just to win this match and just to be in this atmosphere means so much to me, so thank you.”
Osaka saved two break points as she served for the win and needed three match points to get the job done. Afterwards, she said: ” I mean it was stressful, she was hitting some really good shots and I just told myself like, keep going, keep fighting for every point and maybe you’ll have an opportunity. Eventually I did but then I looked up and then I saw so many faces so I was like, woah.”
Osaka missed last year’s US Open after giving birth to her first child in July 2023. And she shared a hilarious anecdote about one-year-old Shai after upsetting Ostapenko.
“Last night my daughter didn’t want to go to sleep on her bedtime so I had to hold her for quite a while and I was like, oh wow, she really picked the perfect day not to go to sleep,” she laughed. “But yeah I mean, I don’t know. Moments like that are so precious to me and I can only hope that I can keep having more.”
It’s her first top-10 win since January 2020, when she beat Kiki Bertens in Brisbane. Bertens has since retired and given birth to two of her own children. Osaka will now face Karolina Muchova.