Osaka savours Beijing title after US Open letdown
AN EMOTIONAL Naomi Osaka sa id t hat she had atoned for t he d i sappoi nt ment of t he US Open a f ter beat i ng world No1 Ashleigh Bart y in t he Ch i na Open f i na l on Sunday.
In the men’s draw, top seed Dominic Thiem recovered from a set down against Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim the 15th singles title of his career.
The 21-year-old Osaka has had a turbulent year, winning the Australian Open but then suffering a dip in form which included exiting Flushing Meadows in the last 16.
But the two-time Grand Slam champion from Japan surged back to win her home Pan Pacific Open last month and made it back-to-back titles with victory in Beijing.
Osaka defeated teenage US Ope n c h a mpi o n Bi a n c a Andreescu and then French Open winner Barty on the way to the fifth crown of her young career.
Winning in Japan and China had been her aim after the US Open letdown, where she was the defending champion and top seed.
“I don’t want to say I planned [it], but I really meditated on it. It just feels like I accomplished what I set out to do,” she said.
“I d id n’t play t hose t wo tou r na ments for mysel f, I k ind of played t hem for my tea m because t he US Open wasn’t t hat g reat a nd I felt ver y apologetic.”
But Osaka admitted that she had been driven to tears after going down in the first set to Australia’s Barty, before powering back to win the final 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“In the first set all I could think about was how much I wanted to win and I was pretty emotional,” said the former No1, now ranked fourth.
Among the changes after the US Open, the young Japanese brought her father Leonard Francois on board as her coach.
It has proved successf ul in a short time but Osaka does not se e it a s a long-ter m arrangement.
“He doesn’t li ke watching my matches. I t hink it stresses him out because he twitches ever y time I hit a ball,” she smiled.
The beaten Bart y said that her slice shot, a major weapon of t he Austra lian’s, was “null i f ied” because of t he cool cond it ion s i n t he Chi nese capita l.
But the top-ranked 23-yearold s a i d : “I’m e x t r e mel y proud.
“Proud that myself, my team, we turn up for every single tournament, regardless of when it is during the year, what the conditions are like.”
The Australian, who took a break from tennis five years ago and played cricket instead, is relishing more showdowns against Osaka and Andreescu, two other major talents.
“I think it’s an exciting opportunity for all three of us,” she said.
Thiem wins 15th title
Thiem defeated Greece’s promising 21-year-old Tsitsipas 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 for the men’s crown.
The 26-year-old Austrian beat former world No1 Andy Murray on the way to the title and had also booked his spot in the prestigious season-ending ATP Finals.
“It feels great because today was for me one of the best matches I’ve played in my life, I guess,” said Thiem, who is ranked fifth in the world.
“Game-style wise and also how I came back, it’s definitely one of my biggest titles because the tournament is so strong, the draw was so strong.
“Makes me very happy that I stand as the champion at the end of the week.”