An emotional Naomi Osaka made a triumphant return to the US Open after defeating Jelena Ostapenko in a thrilling first-round match.
The Japanese player is a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows. She won the first of her four Grand Slam titles in New York in 2018 and repeated the feat in 2020.
She missed the tournament last year after giving birth. Her daughter Shai was only visible from the spectators, but it rekindled their desire to compete.
The former world number one had a tough fight against Latvian Ostapenko, the 10th seed, but won 6-3, 6-2 in just 63 minutes.
Osaka, who cried tears of joy and relief after her win and covered her face with a towel, became emotional again during on-court interviews.
“I was trying not to cry when I went out,” the 26-year-old said.
“I remember watching Coco (Gauff) play last year and wanting to be on that court again.
“I didn’t know if I could do it, athletically and physically, if I could do it. Just being able to play this match and be in this atmosphere means so much to me, so thank you.”
The win over Ostapenko was Osaka’s first victory over a top 10 player in four years.
Osaka, who also won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, said ahead of the US Open that she hasn’t felt “wrong with my body” since returning from maternity leave.
She gave birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023 and returned to the WTA Tour in January.
She has had some notable performances, including coming close to beating eventual champion Iga Swiatek at the French Open, but has never made it past the quarterfinals in any event.
She also has a tough draw in New York: former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova awaits in the second round.
Asked about her goals for the tournament, Osaka said:
“Last night, my daughter didn’t want to go to bed even though it was her bedtime, so I held her for a while, and I thought, wow, she really picked the perfect day to not sleep.
“Moments like these are so precious to me and I only hope there will be more of them.”