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All about US Open champion Naomi Osaka

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September 13, 2020 10:00 IST

Naomi Osaka

IMAGE: Naomi Osaka celebrates a point during the US Open final against Victoria Azarenka on Day 13 of the 2020 US Open, on Saturday. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Factbox on Japan's Naomi Osaka, who beat Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the US Open title on Saturday.

 

Born: October 16, 1997 in Osaka, Japan

Grand Slam titles: 3 (US Open 2018, 2020; Australian Open 2019)

Naomi Osaka

IMAGE: Naomi Osaka, who won her first US Open title in 2018, claimed her second US Open title and third major crown. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

EARLY LIFE

* Born to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, Osaka grew up idolising 23-times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

* Moved to New York when she was three-years-old and turned professional in 2013 aged 15.

* Played in the main draw of a WTA event for the first time at Stanford in 2014. Beat Sam Stosur in the first round before losing to Andrea Petkovic.

Naomi Osaka

IMAGE: The victory allowed Naomi Osaka to maintain her 100% winning record in Grand Slam finals. Photograph: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

CAREER TO DATE

* Made her Grand Slam debut as a qualifier at the Australian Open in 2016, beating Elina Svitolina in the second round before losing to former champion Azarenka.

* Cracked the top 100 in the world for the first time in April 2016 and the top 50 later in the year.

* Named 2016 WTA "Newcomer of the Year" after making third-round appearances at three Grand Slams and reaching her first WTA final.

* Won her first WTA title in March 2018 in Indian Wells, beating Maria Sharapova, Karolina Pliskova and Simona Halep along the way.

* Beat Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final to claim her maiden Grand Slam title and finished the year ranked fifth in the world.

* Beat Petra Kvitova in the 2019 Australian Open final to become the first player since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 to win the next Grand Slam after her maiden major.

* Beat Azarenka to win her second US Open title. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no fans in attendance at the hardcourt major in 2020. She turned up for each of her seven matches at Flushing Meadows wearing a face mask carrying the name of a Black American to highlight racial injustice in the United States.

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