Osaka, in-form Barty primed for US Open
NEW YORK: Defending champion Naomi third US Open title in four tries as the year’s final Grand Slam begins on Monday with top-ranked Wimbledon winner Ashleigh Barty leading a host of rivals.
What’s uncertain is whether New York will see Osaka rediscover the dominant form that saw her win the past two Grand Slam events she played to the finish. The 23-year-old Japanese star lit the flame in the Olympic cauldron at the Tokyo Games, but has played only two matches since Japan ahead of the Open.
“I know I haven’t played that many matches. I know that I haven’t even gotten to a quarterfinal,” Osaka said.
“Actually I feel pretty happy with how I’m playing.’
Osaka pulled out of the French Open after being fined for not talking to reporters after her first match, saying it hurt her mental health. She then skipped Wimbledon but spoke with the media after matches in her US Open tuneup at Cincinnati.
Osaka captured last year’s US Open title by defeating Victoria
Azarenka in the final, becoming the first woman since 1994 to rally from a set down to win the US Open final.
She will open this year in New York against Czech Marie Bouzkova. Osaka could meet Coco Gauff in the fourth round, Ukraine’s fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals and Belarus second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
Barty, in her 83rd consecutive week atop the world rankings, has rolled to wins at Wimbledon and Cincinnati, putting her on best form entering the Flushing Meadows fortnight.