MANILA, Philippines — Naomi Osaka cemented her status as a star in women's tennis after claiming her second US Open title in three years on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).
Osaka battled from a set down to finish of veteran Victoria Azarenka in three sets, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, after 1 hour and 53 minutes of play.
The Japanese tennister was uncharacteristically sloppy in her opening set loss with 13 unforced errors.
Azarenka only needed 26 minutes to claim the first set against the miss hiting Osaka.
The 31-year-old even had a strong start to the second set, going up 2-0 before Osaka started showing her championship calibre.
Former World No. 1 Osaka is now a three-time Grand Slam champion at 22-years-old.
Azarenka, who settled for the bridesmade finish, shocked 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams in the semifinals.
Osaka comended her opponent, revealing it was a challenging match.
"I didn't really enjoy that. It was a really tough match for me," Osaka said following her win.
Osaka made waves throughout her campaign in the US Open.
For each one of her matches, Osaka walked onto the courts wearing masks that bore the names of victims of racial injustice and police brutality.
Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African-American boy who was shot by police in Cleveland, Ohio back in 2014, was the latest name she wore during the final. — With reports from Agence France-Presse