An emotional Naomi Osaka made a triumphant US Open return by beating Jelena Ostapenko in a blockbuster first-round match.
Japan’s Osaka is a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows, winning the first of her four Grand Slam titles in New York in 2018 and repeating the feat in 2020.
She missed last year’s tournament after giving birth to daughter Shai but watched from the crowd, which reignited her desire to compete.
The former world number one faced a tough task against Latvian 10th seed Ostapenko, but came through 6-3 6-2 in just 63 minutes.
Osaka covered her face with her towel as she cried tears of joy and relief after the win, and became emotional again in her on-court interview.
“I was trying not to cry when I was walking out,” the 26-year-old said.
“I remember last year I was watching Coco [Gauff] play and I so badly wanted to step on these courts again.
“I didn’t know if I could – athletically, physically, if I was able to. Just to play this match and be in this atmosphere means so much to me, so thank you.”
