WHAT HAPPENED: Playing full-tilt tennis at the peak of their powers, Naomi Osaka and Jennifer Brady fought tooth-and-nail through three tense sets, trading booming serves and power strokes in Arthur Ashe Stadium, before Osaka finally pulled away to secure a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 triumph to book a spot in her third Grand Slam final. Osaka, who has now won three three-setters at the 2020 US Open, earns a spot in the title match for the second time in three years in New York.
“It means a lot for me,” said Osaka. “I kind of consider New York my second home. I really love the atmosphere, even though sadly there’s no people here, I really feel this court really suits me well.”
In a battle of booming serves, fast-flying forehands and barely perceptible windows of opportunity, the No.4 seed Osaka stood a smidge taller than Brady in a crisply played opening set that featured no breaks of serve. The 2018 US Open champion eventually came through a lopsided tiebreaker to take a one set to love lead.
Brady, seeded No. 28 and playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal, made Osaka walk the tightrope all evening. She even had the only break opportunity of the opening set, at 3-3—but in a moment she’ll likely regret, the 25-year-old American failed to put her return of an Osaka second serve in play.
In the second set, Brady’s hard work paid off with Osaka serving at 3-4, 30-40, as she won a thrilling rally to break for 5-3. In the next game, Brady quickly went up 40-0 and converted her second set point as an Osaka forehand sprayed well wide.
Fittingly, it came down to a decider between two players who had just concluded two of the most hotly contested sets of the tournament. It would be Osaka who rose to the occasion down the stretch as she took advantage of the tiniest lull from Brady to break for 3-1. Osaka never wavered during a final set that saw her win 14 of 17 first-serve points and never face a break point.
“Honestly I don’t know, I just felt like I was sticking it out, it felt like we were trading serves,” Osaka said of the tense finish.
WHAT IT MEANS: Osaka’s victory solidifies her status as the player to beat in New York, and reinforces the belief that her previously injured left hamstring will not be a limiting factor as she prepares to play Saturday’s final against Victoria Azarenka. Osaka was unflappable throughout this high-stakes contest, even as Brady applied scoreboard pressure by winning her first 12 service games against the two-time Grand Slam champion.
Osaka’s grace under pressure in the third set is another sign of her clutch capabilities. After her level dipped in the second set, her confidence could have easily abandoned her in such a tight situation with Brady breathing down her neck. All she did was reset her emotional energy, batten down the hatches of her first-strike game and ramble past Brady for yet another monumental win.
“I just felt like I wanted to come out of quarantine being positive and not really caring if I win or lose, but just knowing I put in 100 percent effort,” Osaka said.
Osaka finished with 35 winners against just 17 unforced errors in the two hour and seven minute contest. She struck nine aces and won 43 of 51 first-serve points.
“I feel like definitely I've been getting more confident in myself. I feel like all these matches apply to each other. I know that once it gets to a third set, as long as I stay calm, the outcome could go in my favor,” she said.
MATCH POINT: Osaka improves to 8-0 at the Slams where she has reached the quarterfinals. The Japanese star has never lost a quarterfinal (3-0), semifinal (3-0) or final (2-0) at a Grand Slam.
