Two-time champion Naomi Osaka (Japan) defeated the 10th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) in a clash between two Grand Slam champions in the first round of the US Open.
The Japanese tennis player won by 2-0 (6:3, 6:2) in her return to New York after a one-year maternity break in 2023. Unforced errors, including six doubles and 21 unforced errors, prevented Jelena Ostapenko from performing better.
Former world number 1 Naomi Osaka will play in the second round against Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic).
After the match, the Japanese tennis player said she adored the New York crowd, which had supported her from the moment she stepped onto the court. She was wearing a green skirt with ruffles and a white blouse, sneakers and headphones decorated with green ribbons.
“I was trying not to cry when I was going out. To win this game and be a part of this atmosphere means a lot to me. I just want to play really well and have fun. Moments like this are so precious and I can only hope, that I will have more”, said Naomi Osaka. “I remember last year when I was watching Koko Goff play and I wanted so badly to step on those courts again, but I didn’t know if I would be able to”, added she.
Her emotional return to the tournament, which she won in 2018 and 2020, was hampered by her one-year-old daughter.
“Last night my daughter didn’t want to go to bed, so I had to hold her for a while. I thought: She really chose the perfect day not to sleep”, joked Naomi Osaka.
