Getty Naomi Osaka returns the ball.
An unprecedented US Open is down to the final two women as Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka face off for the title at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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In the US, the match (4 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on ESPN, but if you don’t have cable, anyone in the US can watch Osaka vs Azarenka live on ESPN+:
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Osaka vs Azarenka Preview
Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka are set to square off the US Open title — a matchup that could have taken place a little over a week ago at the Western & Southern Open. However, Osaka, erring on the side of caution with a hamstring injury, retired and Azarenka was crowned champ.
“I’m as excited as I was last week,” Azarenka said of the matchup with Osaka, who is seeking her second US Open title. “I’m sure this time we’re going to get to play and it’s going to be a great match. I think it’s going to be an amazing final. I hope it will be. I’ll have fun.
“But she’s a very, very powerful player. She’s a great champion. She’s won two already. Aren’t we both looking for a third one? It will be fun.”
Azarenka overcame Serena Williams to get to the title match, coming back from a set down to win. Azarenka’s last Grand Slam title came in 2013, but she’s ready for a return to glory.
“I mean, mentally, I’m in such a different place. I think seven years ago, after I won the Australian Open and stuff, and playing kind of consistently with good results, it was kind of I wouldn’t say expected but kind of expected for me to be in the final. I don’t think that was the case this year,” Azarenka said after beating Williams. “It feels more fun this year, more fulfilling, more pleasant for me. It feels nice. Nicer.”
Similarly, Osaka has been enjoying some solid results after reliving some pressure on herself. She channeled a familiar quote preparing for the final.
“I feel like honestly the entire 2019, after I won Australia, I put too much pressure on myself,” Osaka said. “I wasn’t enjoying it … I just thought to myself, ‘I’m going to take the quarantine to mentally evaluate what I want to do when I come back.’ And for me, when you walk out onto Ashe, there’s a quote from Billie Jean King that says, ‘Pressure is a privilege,’ and for me, I feel like it’s very true.”
The two have faced off three times previously, with Osaka taking the last two. The most recent at the french open went three sets. Azarenka beat Osaka in 2016, 6-1, 6-1.