BREAKING NEWS Naomi Osaka gets tearful after storming into US Open second round with superb win over Jelena Ostapenko By Jake Nisse In New York Published: 20:20, 27 August 2024 | Updated: 20:54, 27 August 2024 e-mail 1 View comments Four years since her second US Open title - and days after she was granted a wild card to this year's tournament - it was fair to wonder what kind of level we would see from Naomi Osaka in the first round against world No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko. The answer was resounding, as Osaka marked her return to New York from last year's maternity leave with an emphatic 6-3, 6-2 win.
The match - which followed a Danielle Collins-Caroline Dolehide marathon beforehand on Louis Armstrong - lasted barely over an hour and served as a reminder of Osaka's brilliance - at least when she's purring with this much confidence. The last few years have been spent in something of tennis wilderness for Osaka, who has been open about her mental health struggles. She's lost in the first or second round of every other Slam this year.
Even in victory on Tuesday, the weight of those trials were too much for Osaka to hide after the match, as the soft-spoken star got choked up as she spoke about missing the tournament last year as she was cheered on by the crowd. Naomi Osaka looked back to her best with a superb opening round US Open win She appeared emotional in the moments after her dominant victory in New York Soak it all in, @naomiosaka �� pic.twitter.
com/nFLRG0NJX1 — US O.