Naomi Osaka comes back, beats Azarenka for 2nd US Open title
New York: After one errant forehand in the first set of the US Open final, Naomi Osaka looked at her coach in the mostly empty Arthur Ashe Stadium stands with palms up, as if to say, "What the heck is happening?"
In response to another wayward forehand against Victoria Azarenka seconds later, Osaka chucked her racket. It spun a bit and rattled against the court.
Surprisingly off-kilter in the early going Saturday, Osaka kept missing shots and digging herself a deficit. Until, suddenly, she lifted her game, and Azarenka couldn't sustain her start. By the end, Osaka pulled away to a 1-6 6-3 6-3 victory for her second US Open championship and third Grand Slam title overall.
"For me, I just thought," said Osaka, who trailed by a set and a break, "it would be very embarrassing to lose this in an under an hour."
This, then, is what she told herself with a white towel draped over her head at a changeover when things looked bleakest: "I just have to try as hard as I can and stop having a really bad attitude."
It worked. A quarter-century had passed since a woman who lost the first set of a US Open final wound up winning: In 1994, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario did it against Steffi Graf.
"I wasn't really thinking about winning. I was just thinking about competing," Osaka said. "Somehow, I ended up with the trophy."
Osaka is a 22-year-old who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father; the family moved to the US when she was 3.
Osaka, now based in California, arrived for the US Open intent on claiming the championship, to be sure, but with another goal in mind, as well: continuing to be a voice for change by calling attention to racial injustice.
She showed up for Saturday's match wearing a mask with the name of Tamir Rice, a Black 12-year-old boy killed by police in Ohio in 2014. That was the seventh mask she'd used during the tournament, after honoring other Black victims of violence: Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Philando Castile.
"The point," Osaka explained, "is to make people start talking."
Last month, Osaka refused to compete after the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, in Wisconsin she said she would withdraw from her semifinal at the Western & Southern Open, although decided to play after the tournament took a full day off in solidarity.
Osaka and her coach, Wim Fissette who used to work with Azarenka have said they think the off-court activism has helped her energy and mindset in matches.
"I wanted," Osaka said, "more people to (see) more names."
So perhaps it was no coincidence that this win over Azarenka, a 31-year-old from Belarus also seeking a third Grand Slam title but first in 7 years, made Osaka 11-0 since tennis resumed after its hiatus because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Osaka added to her triumphs at the 2018 US Open earned with a brilliant performance in a memorably chaotic and controversial final against Serena Williams and 2019 Australian Open.
Azarenka carried an 11-match winning streak of her own into Saturday, including a stirring three-set victory over Williams in the semifinals, stopping the American's bid for a 24th Grand Slam title.
Azarenka won the 2012 and 2013 Australian Opens and lost to Williams in the US Open finals each of those years.
"I thought the third time was the charm," Azarenka said, "but I guess I'll have to try again."
Even after Osaka surged ahead 4-1 in the third set, the outcome was unclear. Azarenka drew to 4-3, then stood and stretched during the ensuing changeover.
"Had a little bit of a energy dip," Azarenka said.
Osaka regained control, then laid down on the court when the final was over.
The 23,000-plus seats in the main arena at Flushing Meadows were not entirely unclaimed, just mostly so while fans were not allowed to attend because of the coronavirus pandemic, dozens of people who worked at the tournament attended and the cavernous place was not entirely silent, just mostly so. One of the lucky few in the house: Osaka's boyfriend, rapper YBN Cordae.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity to play in front of millions of people watching on TV," Azarenka said. "Unfortunately, they're not here."
Certainly no thunderous applause or the cacophony of yells that normally would reverberate over and over and over again through the course of a Grand Slam final, accompanying the players' introductions or preceding the first point or after the greatest of shots.
Instead, a polite smattering of claps from several hands marked such moments.
Azarenka led early thanks to terrific returning and let-no-ball-by defense, stretching points until Osaka missed. And she repeatedly missed; the first set was over in a blink.
Azarenka broke early in the second set, too, to lead 2-0.
The question shifted from "Who will win?" to "Might this be the most lopsided US Open final?" Except Osaka made subtle changes that altered the match. She stepped closer to the baseline, redirecting shots more immediately and forcefully. Azarenka began hitting the ball less stridently, making mistakes she avoided earlier.
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Narcotic substances worth Rs 11.50 cr seized, two people arrested
Bengaluru (PTI): Two alleged interstate drug peddlers, including a woman, have been arrested with narcotic substances worth Rs 11.50 crore, police said on Tuesday.
The arrests were made recently following a raid conducted by the Narcotics Control Wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bagalur police station limits, they said.
Police said 8,335 LSD strips, five kg of Hydro Ganja, 534 grams of Charas, two mobile phones and a two-wheeler were seized from their possession.
"Based on a tip-off, two interstate drug peddlers, including a woman, were apprehended. Both had been residing in Bengaluru for the past year and were involved in an organised illegal drug distribution network. They were receiving narcotic substances from a Kerala-based individual residing in Thailand and distributing them to customers as per his instructions, thereby earning illegal profits," a senior police officer said.
Addressing a press conference here, Seemant Kumar Singh said this was the first time such a huge quantity of LSD had been recovered in Bengaluru.
“We are trying to find out from where it has been sourced and where it was meant to be supplied. We have some specific inputs about the intended targets. However, without concrete evidence, we cannot conclude. We are working to establish how such a huge quantity was procured and for whom it was meant,” he said.
Singh added that further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain and identify those involved in the distribution network.
A case has been registered against them under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) at Bagalur Police Station, and further investigation is in progress, police said.
In another operation, 1.5 kg Hydro Ganja was seized by the officials at K G Nagar police station here, police said.
The contraband had been smuggled via international parcel services and cleverly concealed inside chocolate and biscuit boxes to avoid suspicion, and the estimated value is Rs 1.5 crore, the officer said.
A case has been registered, and efforts are ongoing to trace the accused, police said.
An interstate accused was arrested in the Whitefield police station limits, for selling narcotic drugs on March 1, they said.
Police said 27.239 kg Ganja, 3.200 kg Hashish Oil, along with the two-wheeler used in the crime, with a total worth of Rs 55 lakh was seized from him, they added.
In a separate operation, two foreign women who were overstaying their visas were apprehended within the limits of Mico Layout Police Station, officials said.
They have been handed over to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and subsequently sent to the Foreigners Detention Centre as per legal procedures, they added.
