She beat her idol — and kept her focus

THE killer instinct that carried Japan’s Naomi Osaka to a first grand-slam title evaporated as she hugged her idol Serena Williams after beating her in a controversial US Open final.

Osaka said it wasn’t the ire of the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd — angered at penalties meted out to Williams — but just the realisation that she had robbed the US great who inspired her career of a record-equalling 24th grand-slam title.

“I know that she really wanted to have the 24th grand slam,” said Osaka, who choked up trying to explain her feelings.

“When I step on to the court, I feel like a different person, right? I’m not a Serena fan. I’m just a tennis player playing another tennis player.

“But then when I hugged her at the net, I felt like a little kid again.”

Osaka, 20, looked nothing like a kid as she took the court aiming to become Japan’s first grandslam winner.

Undaunted by the massive pro-Williams crowd, she broke Williams twice for a quick 4-1 lead in the opening set, displaying the kind of powerful ground game and dominant serve that have made Williams a star.

She had locked up the first in style with a blistering service winner when Williams was incensed by a code-violation warning for receiving coaching from her box in the second game of the second set.

Though Williams would take a 3-1 lead in the set, the accusation festered, and soon a violation for racquet abuse cost her a point while a third for verbal abuse cost her a game.

“I didn’t know what was going on, I was just trying to focus,” Osaka said.