Naomi Osaka won the most unique of US Open titles on Saturday when she beat Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-3 6-3 to lift the trophy for the second time in three years.
With the hardcourt major being staged without any fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese fourth seed did not let the unusual circumstances distract her as she produced a battling performance to win her third Grand Slam title.
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The victory allowed the 22-year-old to maintain her 100% winning record in Grand Slam finals while Azarenka was denied a US Open crown for a third time having also finished runner-up in 2012 and 2013.
Still it was a remarkable and unexpected run for the 31-year-old Belarusian, who was playing in her first major final in seven years.
It marked the first time since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1994 that a player had dropped the first set of the women’s final and fought back to win the title.
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