Winner Osaka humble after loser’s meltdown
TOKYO: Japan celebrated Naomi Osaka’s victory over Serena Williams in the US Open final yesterday, fans putting her stunning success down to a steely focus and humble attitude as much as her powerful performance at Flushing Meadows.
Osaka, who became the first Japanese woman to clinch a grand slam singles title, was a picture of calm in the midst of her opponent’s meltdown, which cast a pall over the final.
The 20yearold, who was born in Japan but raised in the United States, beat her childhood idol 62, 64 in a final marred by Williams’ bad behaviour after she was handed a code violation for oncourt coaching.
The runnerup also smashed her racket and verbally attacked the umpire for penalising her.
‘‘Osaka played so well that Serena wasn’t able to play her tennis and she [Williams] got upset,’’ said Mitsuko Sakai, a 63yearold amateur tennis player who woke up at 5am in Tokyo to watch the final.
‘‘She remained so calm throughout the match’’ despite the brouhaha, Sakai said. ‘‘I was very impressed by her mental strength. The entire audience seemed to cheering for Serena but Osaka concentrated on the game and won.’’
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulated Osaka on Twitter, thanking her for ‘‘giving Japan a boost of inspiration at this time of hardship’’ — a likely reference to the earthquake that hit the northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday, killing at least 21 people.
Japan has been charmed by Osaka’s offcourt humility and genuineness as much as her oncourt ferocity and that unpretentiousness came through in her postmatch comments.
While standing on the podium waiting to be handed her trophy, Osaka heard only boos as an angry crowd took out their frustration on umpire Carlos Ramos, whom they perceived to have been too harsh on Williams.
‘‘I know everyone was cheering for her and I’m sorry it had to end like this,’’ said Osaka. ‘‘I just want to say thank you for watching the match.’’
Osaka said it was ‘‘always my dream to play Serena in the US Open finals’’ and ‘‘I’m really grateful I was able to play with you’’.
Watching from Tokyo, 60yearold tennis fan Kiyoshi Ogawa praised Osaka’s humility. ‘‘She tried to make all the attention go to Serena. That’s her beauty.’’
Osaka, the daughter of a Haitian father and Japanese mother, is helping break new ground in Japan as her biracial identity challenges the country’s selfimage as a racially homogenous society.
She left Japan when she was 3 and was raised in New York and Florida. She holds both Japanese and American citizenship and addresses fans on camera in broken Japanese — which has helped win over the public in Japan. — Reuters