Osaka rallies to win US Open crown

NEW YORK: Japan's Naomi Osaka battled from a set down to defeat Belarus' Victoria Azarenka to win the US Open final at the Flushing Meadows in New York on Saturday.

Osaka, who won her first US Open title in 2018, beat Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win her second US Open title and third major crown.

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.

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.