Osaka makes quick work of Linette
JAPANESE STAR WOWS POWER CROWD
NEW YORK – Naomi Osaka smacked a forehand winner into the open court, bringing Colin Kaepernick and Kobe Bryant to their feet in applause.
Osaka has power in her strokes and star power in her corner.
The defending US Open champion moved into the third round Thursday with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Magda Linette, setting up a possible third-round showdown with Coco Gauff.
With Kaepernick and Bryant sitting with her team just a few rows off the Louis Armstrong Stadium court, Osaka did her part and waited to see if the 15-year-old Gauff would win her match later that night.
“For me, when I hear people talking about someone, I want to have the opportunity to play them just to assess it for myself,” Osaka said.
Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who three years ago began kneeling during the national anthem before games, has been working out in the area in hopes of getting another shot in the NFL. Bryant, the retired NBA superstar, came to the US Open to promote a new book “Legacy and the Queen” that he conceived and that Osaka has supported.
Osaka said Thursday was the first time she’d met Kaepernick, though she has developed a friendship with Bryant.
“It’s just funny to me,” Osaka said. “You know, like, last year compared to this year there is no way, like, Kobe would sit in my box. Yeah, Kaepernick, too.”
Osaka was grateful for their attendance, she said, and motivated to win quickly so she wouldn’t keep them in the sun too long watching.
The No. 1 seed gave them plenty to cheer along the way, especially the forehand winner on break point that gave her a 4-3 lead in the second set after Linette had grabbed the first three games.