Naomi Osaka Tearfully Celebrated Her First U.S. Open Win in Three Years

Aug 27, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) celebrates after match point against Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)(not pictured) in a women's singles match on day two of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Aug 27, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) celebrates after match point against Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)(not pictured) in a women's singles match on day two of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Naomi Osaka wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to dominate on a U.S. Open court again after giving birth to her daughter last year.

She proved the doubters wrong on Tuesday as she cruised past No. 10 Jeļena Ostapenko in the first round, winning 6–3, 6–2 in just 64 minutes.

Osaka couldn't help but burst into tears on the sidelines as she soaked in this monumental win. Not only was it her first U.S. Open win in three years, but it was also her first victory over a Top-10 player since Jan. 2020.

Osaka emotionally explained why this win was so important to her during her post-match interview.

"I was trying not to cry when I was walking out," Osaka said. "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 ... just to win this match and just to be in this atmosphere means so much to me."

She returned to the tennis court at the beginning of the 2024 season after she missed nearly the entire 2023 season while being pregnant with her daughter. She gave birth in July 2023 and then took off the rest of the year for maternity leave.

Osaka has won four major titles in her career, with two of those being the 2018 and 2020 U.S. Open titles. The last WTA title Osaka won was in Jan. 2021 at the Australian Open.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.