Naomi Osaka of Japan hits the ball against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the women's singles final match. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)
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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Naomi Osaka of Japan taps rackets with Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the women's singles final match on day 13 of the 2020 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)
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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