Victoria Azarenka Stops Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka Reaches Second US Open Final with win over Jennifer Brady

(September 10) NEW YORK – In a hard-hitting, high quality match, No. 4 seed Naomi Osaka is headed to her third major final, her second US Open final after defeating No. 28 seed, American Jennifer Brady 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Both women came into the match with a 1-1 in their head-to-head matchup.

Brady (UCLA) became the first college player to reach the US Open semifinals since 1987 Lori McNeil did it. This was Brady’s first major semifinal appearance.

The first set featured rocket-type ground strokes and serves. Forward to the first set tiebreak when Osaka, who represents Japan took over dominating it 7-1, winning the last five straight points. It was the first set that Brady had lost in the tournament.

The second set stayed even until the eighth game when Brady produced the first break of the match when she an 18-shot rally to break Naomi Osaka. She served out the second set to level the match 6-7(1), 6-3.

In the third set, Osaka notched her first break of serve of the match in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead.

Brady fought off break points in the sixth game to stay two games behind Osaka. Osaka held to close out the match 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3.

Brady on Osaka: “I’d say she’s just aggressive, plays a big game. She has a really good serve. When her serve’s on, it’s really tough to break her. She puts pressure on you to hold your serve because you know that you’re getting very minimal looks at her serve when she’s serving.”

Osaka hit 35 winners to 17 unforced errors, while Brady hit 35 winners to 25 unforced errors.

Osaka said that it was a high quality match. “While I was playing, her level didn’t dip at all. For me, it kind of reminded me of the {Petra) Kvitova match I played in Australia. Unlike that match, I felt like Jenny was very solid throughout the entire thing. I felt like I had no chances almost.

“I think it was a really tough match, ” Brady said to media. “I think we both played pretty well. I think the worst part was probably the tiebreak in the first set for me. I played a pretty bad tiebreak.

“After the first set, I was thinking about it on the changeover, before the second set. I was like, it was a pretty good set from both of us. It was just unfortunate I didn’t play that great in the tiebreak.”

But I was able to recover from that and win the second set. Then I think she just played too good in the third. I played a loose game to get broken in the third set, was trying to break back. I think maybe in that last game I had some chances, but wasn’t able to do it.

“I think I’m just proud of my effort, that I treated each match as, you know, the same, came in with the same mentality, ” Brady said of her last two weeks. “The only goal I had was just to compete on every single point. I felt like that’s what I did. I’m leaving here pretty proud.”

Osaka is about to play in her third major final on Saturday, she talked about what’s she’s learned since her first one in 2018.

“I would say I feel like my mindset is much different this time around,” she said. “I feel like I’ve learned so much through the ups and downs, not even counting the finals, but just regular tour tournaments.

“I would say, hmm, mentally I feel stronger. I feel fitter now. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens.”

Osaka, who won the 2018 US Open for her first major title, will face unseeded Victoria Azarenka in a rematch of what was supposed to be the Cincinnati final, also known as the Western & Southern Open which took place at the site of the US Open, where Osaka withdrew from with a hamstring injury.

Azarenka recovered from a disastrous first set to rally pas six-time US Open champion [3] Serena Williams 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a battle of the “moms”. It was the Belarusian’s first win over Williams at a major. 

Williams opened the match with a break of serve and jetted her way to a 6-1 set. A combination of Williams’ dominant serving, shot making and Azarenka’s errors

In the third set, in the second game while serving, Williams hurt her Achilles tendon and needed a medical time out at deuce during the game. In her news conference, Williams said the she overstretched her Achilles. Azarenka broke her serve after Williams returned to the court to lead 2-0, held for a 3-0 lead and served out the match holding on to that lead sealing it with an ace for the 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory.

“I knew it’s never over, and I said that before the match, ” Azarenka said. “I didn’t think it was over even when I led 5-3 in the third, because I’ve been there before!” 

It’s her 11th straight win dating back to the beginning of the “Cincinnati in New York” tournament.

For the two-time major winner, this will be Azarenka’s first final at a major in seven years. Williams leads the overall head-to-head 18-5.

“Seven is my favorite number, so I guess it’s meant to be,” Azarenka said during her on-court interview for ESPN. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity, to be able to play such a champion in a semifinal. The road to the final requires you to beat the best players, and today was definitely that day.”

“I’m in such a different place (since seven years ago),” Azarenka said. “I think seven years ago, after I won the Australian Open and stuff, and playing kind of consistently with good results, it was kind of I wouldn’t say expected but kind of expected for me to be in the final. I don’t think that was the case this year.

“But it feels more fun this year, more fulfilling, more pleasant for me, yeah. It feels nice, nicer.”

“Hopefully this inspires women to go after their dreams,” Azarenka added. “I feel like you can’t always identify yourself as just one thing, because we have many things we can do in our lives. A parent is the most important thing I can be in my life, but I’m also a tennis player, a fighter on the court. I want to go after my personal dreams, to inspire my child. I hope women around the world know they can do anything. Being a parent is the toughest thing, so once you can balance that, you can do anything.”

“I started really strong.” Williams said to media.  “Then she just kept fighting. She just changed and started playing better and better. Maybe I took a little too much off the gas pedal at some point.” 

“I knew I had to step up with my game, ” Azarenka said of her poor start. “It was very quick. In the beginning, it was a lot of very short rallies. She served really, really well. I felt like I was kind of out of range. I wasn’t finding my serve. Second serve was getting killed.

“I knew I had to get into the rallies, I needed to step up with my aggressivity, play a little smarter, play with a little bit more width of the court and bring the intensity up. I felt that intensity was important today, to bring it up.

“I’m glad that that worked out for me.”

The 23-time major champion talked about what happened in the match in the second and third sets:

“I just think I made more errors. I made a lot more errors. I didn’t win a lot on my second serves, apparently. I wasn’t serving. I mean, I served well, but I didn’t dominate the way I needed to in that.

“I made some really key mistakes on some returns in the second set that I probably should have done better. I mean, you know, I don’t know. That’s what I would say what happened.

“I think she started playing really, really well. Like, she just started getting balls that she normally doesn’t get back, she got those back. She started hitting shots that she normally doesn’t make, she made those. She just really stepped her level up.”

“I mean, it’s obviously disappointing. At the same time, you know, I did what I could today. I feel like other times I’ve been close and I could have done better. Today I felt like I gave a lot.”

Williams says that she will be playing the French Open, later this month.

Osaka on playing Azarenka:

“I’ve played her once in Roland Garros. I played her twice, but the Roland Garros one is the most recent one that I remember.

“Yeah, she seems really confident now. She’s moving well. I don’t know. I don’t try to think about, you know, other matches right after the match that I just finished. But should be tough if I do play her.”

“It’s been 7 years? That’s my favorite number so, I guess that’s meant to be.”

?@vika7 I #USOpen pic.twitter.com/g2Jqyc0ujb

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2020

Azarenka on facing Osaka:

“Very excited about that. I’m as excited as I was last week. I’m sure this time we’re going to get to play and it’s going to be a great match. I think it’s going to be an amazing final. I hope it will be. I’ll have fun.

“But she’s a very, very powerful player. She’s a great champion. She’s won two (major titles) already. Aren’t we both looking for a third one? It will be fun.”

Osaka won the US Open in 2018. Azarenka was a finalist at the US Open in both 2012 and 2013.

Former champion vs former finalist. Two players on a mission.

Saturday’s final is gonna be fun. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/kUzEkSR3zZ

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2020