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And then there were two.
On Sunday morning (AEST), Serena Williams will shoot for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title and a record seventh at Flushing Meadows when she lines up against Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the women’s championship match of the 2018 US Open.
Her shot at history comes twelve months after she very nearly lost her life following the dramatic birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, who turned one during the fortnight.
The American very nearly went ahead with her Australian Open title defence, which she won while two months pregnant, but chose not to play in Melbourne after deciding her body wasn’t 100 per cent up to the task.
Her comeback didn’t go all to plan, as she lost early at both Indian Wells and Miami to sister Venus and Naomi Osaka, the opponent she’ll face again in Sunday morning’s (AEST) US Open final, respectively.
Then, in her first Grand Slam tournament of her comeback, she was able to reach the fourth round of the French Open, before withdrawing before her showdown against Maria Sharapova due to a pectoral injury.
It was at Roland Garros where she sported the controversial catsuit which has since been banned by the French Tennis Federation, whose president Bernard Giudicelli said the game must be respected.
The American was then able to reach the final at Wimbledon, where she lost to Angelique Kerber in straight sets. Despite the result, it showed that she was ready to contend at the Major tournaments again.
Her form dipped following Wimbledon, suffering a record humiliation at the hands of Johanna Konta in San Jose, where she won just one game, and then losing to Petra Kvitova in the second round at Cincinnati.
But despite her poor form going into the US Open, she entered the final Grand Slam tournament of the year as one of the favourites, and, true to expectation, she has rediscovered her best form in New York, where she will be shooting for her 24th Grand Slam singles title.
In the championship match she will face Naomi Osaka, who has become the first woman from her country to reach a Major final in the Open Era.
The 20-year-old saved all 13 break points she faced against Madison Keys in her semi-final match, saying in her post-match interview that she “really wanted to face Serena” in the final.
And now she’s got her wish.
Regardless of the result on Sunday morning, her run to the US Open final will cap off a phenomenal twelve months for the Japanese star, who upset defending champion Angelique Kerber in the first round last year and has also defeated the likes of Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka this year.
Now, she faces up to one of tennis’ toughest tasks, facing Williams in a Grand Slam final, at the US Open no less.
Serena Williams in action at Wimbledon. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
But while she did beat the 36-year-old at Miami earlier this year, it came as the American was only getting started in her comeback from maternity leave.
Since then, Williams has rapidly shot back up the rankings and a title win will see her sit just outside the top ten when the rankings are updated on Monday, with the chance to qualify for next month’s WTA Finals in Singapore.
To qualify for the season-ending championships would be a phenomenal effort for the American, considering she was unranked in March and dodged death for the second time this decade.
That’s what’s ahead for both Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka as we get set to crown the seventh (of eight) Grand Slam champion for 2018. Here is the all-important information you need to know ahead of Sunday morning’s US Open women’s final.
[17] Serena Williams (USA) vs [20] Naomi Osaka (JPN)
Saturday, September 8
4:00pm local time (6:00am AEST Sunday, September 9)
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Head to head: Osaka 1-0
Last meeting: Osaka won 6-3, 6-2, first round, 2018 Miami Open.
Serena Williams’ road to the final
Round 1: defeated Magda Linette (POL) 6-4, 6-0
Round 2: defeated Carina Wotthoft (GER) 6-2, 6-2
Round 3: defeated [16] Venus Williams (USA) 6-1, 6-2
Round 4: defeated Kaia Kanepi (EST) 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
Quarter-final: defeated [8] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 6-4, 6-3
Semi-final: defeated [19] Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 6-3, 6-0
Naomi Osaka’s road to the final
Round 1: defeated Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-3, 6-2
Round 2: defeated Julia Glushko (ISR) 6-2, 6-0
Round 3: defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-0, 6-0
Round 4: defeated [26] Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Quarter-final: defeated Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 6-1, 6-1
Semi-final: defeated [14] Madison Keys (USA) 6-2, 6-4
The stats that matter
* This will be Serena Williams’ 31st Grand Slam final, and ninth at the US Open, while for Naomi Osaka this will be her first on both fronts.
* Williams is going for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, and record seventh at the US Open. She has records of 23-7 and 6-2 on those respective fronts. Osaka is going for her first Grand Slam title.
* This will be just the second meeting between the pair; in their previous meeting, in Miami this year, Osaka won in straight sets.
* Osaka is the 16th different opponent that Serena Williams has faced in a Grand Slam final, after Martina Hingis, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Justine Henin, Vera Zvonareva, Samantha Stosur, Agnieszka Radwanska, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Lucie Safarova, Garbine Muguruza and Angelique Kerber.
* Williams is 5-3 against first-time Grand Slam finalists in her career; the losses were to Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004, Stosur at the 2011 US Open and Kerber at the 2016 Australian Open.
* Williams is attempting to become the first mother since Kim Clijsters to win a Major title.
* Osaka is the ninth player (and fourth consecutive, after Safarova, Muguruza and Kerber) to have her first Grand Slam final be against Serena Williams.
* Osaka is the first female Japanese player to reach a Grand Slam final and the first from Asia to do so since Li Na at the 2014 Australian Open.
* Osaka is the ninth player born in the 1990s (after Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova, Jelena Ostapenko, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys) to reach a Grand Slam final. She is looking to become the seventh player born in that decade to win a Grand Slam title.
Prediction
Serena Williams in straight sets.
Meantime, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will attempt to set up a championship showdown when they come up against Juan Martin del Potro and Kei Nishikori in their respective semi-final matches.
While both men should start favourites, they do face opponents who have beaten them in New York, with del Potro handing Nadal his worst defeat at a Major in the 2009 semi-final, and Nishikori upsetting Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2014 tournament.
Regardless of whether Nadal successfully defends his title or not, the Spaniard will remain world number one following the tournament, while a title win for Djokovic would see the Big Three (namely Nadal, Federer and Djokovic) reunited at the top of the rankings.
Matches to watch on Day 12
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Not before 4:00pm (6:00am AEST)
[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [3] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)
Not before 5:30pm (7:30am AEST)
[21] Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs [6] Novak Djokovic (SRB)
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