Helped by net, bad call, she beats Brady to reach her second US final
It wasn’t until Naomi Osaka got a little help from a fortunate net-cord and an incorrect line call that she finally was able to get the better of Jennifer Brady in a US Open semifinal filled with fast serves and strong forehands.
And now Osaka, still just 22, is one victory away from a third Grand Slam title.
Osaka finally surged ahead midway through the last set with the only service break she would get on Thursday night — and only she would need — to beat Brady 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3, returning to the final at Flushing Meadows two years after winning the championship.
“It means a lot for me. I kind of consider New York my second home,” said Osaka, who was born in Japan and moved to the United States as a child. “I kind of love the atmosphere, even though there’s no people here. I feel like this court kind of suits me well.”
Suited both players just fine for most of the high-quality semifinal. Osaka served at up to 120 mph; Brady reached 117 mph. And they pounded the ball once it was in play, too, particularly off the forehand side.
“I just felt like I was sticking it out. It felt like we were trading serves,” Osaka said. “I tried to adjust a little bit on her serve in the third set so maybe that helped.”
They combined for 70 winners — 35 apiece — to just 42 unforced errors, each as good as the other, and it took a bit of luck to swing things after 1 hour, 45 minutes.
That’s when, at 2-1 in the third set, Osaka earned her first break point with a backhand that clipped the net tape and trickled over. She was able to convert the chance when she hit a deep return of a 110 mph serve, and Brady’s backhand in response was called long — although a television replay showed it actually caught a piece of the back of the baseline.
Brady did not challenge the ruling.
Ashe is one of only two courts at the US Open using line judges this year; to reduce the number of people on site, the tournament used electronic line-calling in the other arenas.