The most notable clash of the next generation’s biggest stars, thus far, had to be the fourth-round thriller between the in-form #ArynaSabalenka and the unstoppable #NaomiOsaka at the 2018 #USOpen. Once the draw was released, many fans were already looking forward to this match-up despite them having to potentially beat other higher-ranked players to enter this stage.
Osaka, the winner of the BNP Paribas Open, failed to live up to expectations since then, but sprung a surprising run here at the Flushing Meadows after storming past lower-ranked players without a hassle; including dishing out a double bagel against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the third round. Sabalenka was one of the most in-form players entering the tournament, having reached the semifinals in Cincinnati and lifting her maiden WTA title at the Connecticut Open. Hence, she earned herself the tag of the dark horse, and her title credentials were becoming more legitimate after her win over fifth seed Petra Kvitova.
After a high-quality contest lasting two hours and a minute, it was Osaka who grabbed the narrow 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory as Sabalenka would rue her missed chances. In this battle of big servers, there were, surprisingly, a total of seven breaks. The Japanese fired nine aces, as compared to Sabalenka’s four aces and eight double-faults throughout the match. The Belarusian’s double-faults proved costly, as it often came during the crucial moments including on match point.
Sabalenka seemed like the bigger hitter out on the court, but Osaka’s performance reflected her impressive improvement as compared to the previous years — hitting with consistency and patience rather than going for the winner on every occasion. This resulted in Sabalenka producing unforced errors (42) of them as compared to Osaka’s 32. Although the 26th seed hit 28 winners, her overwhelming number of errors proved to be lethal.
The first set saw Sabalenka missing on an early break point before Osaka took her chances — rattling off two breaks to grab the one-sided first set 6-3. Nonetheless, the fearless Belarusian fought straight back and threatened to dish out a breadstick, but still managed to claim the second set 6-2 within a blink of an eye. The deciding set saw both players exchange early breaks, but Sabalenka double-faulted her way to a loss after several missed chances again.
Osaka strolls to take the first set
It was a lightning start from Sabalenka, who went straight to business in this highly-anticipated clash. After a quick exchange of service holds, the first break point of the match surprisingly arrived upon us in the fourth game. Three consecutive backhand unforced errors from Sabalenka saw her wasting the golden opportunity (which will turn out to be her only break point of the first set) to take the early lead.
The Belarusian certainly could not get over her missed chances as she produced yet another series of unforced errors to go down 0-40 in the following game. Although she served two bombs to fend off two break points, she could not save a third as an unfortunate double-fault came to halt her momentum.
Osaka was playing with confidence as her cool facial expression did not leave any traces of nerves. The Japanese was patient during the baseline rallies, and her intention was never to overpower, but rather outlast her opponent. Three aces were enough to help her consolidate the break comfortably for a 4-2 lead having rattled off three consecutive games.
Sabalenka soon found herself serving to stay in the set, and Osaka elevated her level just in time; firing two winners before the lower-ranked Sabalenka sent a backhand straight into the net once more, gifting Osaka the first set 6-3 after just 32 minutes of action.
Sabalenka fights back in style
Osaka earned a confident service hold to start the second set, and Sabalenka was in some trouble as the scoreboard pressure started to shape up. Nonetheless, her fearless playing style and her disregard for pressure saw the Belarusian holding her serve to love, levelling the scores at 1-1.
Looking to move Osaka everywhere on the court, Sabalenka prevailed in a marathon game as she finally managed to break serve for the first time in the afternoon. The 26th seed was dictating play with ease and the Japanese provided her a lifeline after sending a backhand long on break point.
Sabalenka’s rise in her level coupled alongside Osaka’s dip in intensity meant that the Belarusian managed to rattle off five consecutive games within a flash, and she owned the golden opportunity to close out the set in style by earning two set points on the return.
A monstrous forehand winner (along with a Sabalenka backhand error) saw Osaka surviving the tough challenge and stop the rout just in time to remain in contention, although it was just too late as Sabalenka comfortably served out the second set 6-2 after 37 minutes of world-class aggressive tennis.
Osaka claims the huge win
It seemed as though Sabalenka would run away with the win after producing a fantastic return game to break serve and earn the early 2-1 lead in the deciding set. The momentum was on her side, but a double-fault at 30-15 in the following game completely ruined her confidence.
Osaka capitalized on the loophole and broke straight back, erasing the deficit in the fastest possible manner. She was on a roll — going up 0-40 on Sabalenka’s serve in her next return game. It was all going Osaka’s way, but the dark horse survived in some style; firing three winners to keep the scores level.
Serving to stay in the match at 4-5 down, Sabalenka got herself into some deep trouble once more. She found herself down 0-40 on the second occasion in the decider, but blasted a huge forehand winner and served two bombs to return to deuce. The Belarusian earned a game point, but would rue her missed chances (yet again) due to a misfired forehand. Osaka was eventually fourth-time lucky, benefitting from an unfortunate double-fault which concluded the match after 121 minutes of play.
What she said: Osaka reflects on statement victory
It was a statement victory for Osaka, who had to remain mentally strong during the nervy moments as her mighty opponent would not let loose. Osaka seemed extremely delighted with how she managed to claim the win, “Yeah, I'm just real glad I was able to win in the end. I don't know. I was just thinking a little bit negatively of how I would feel if I lost or something.”
Osaka was letting out some tears after the match, perhaps due to all the emotional stress and pressure weighed on her shoulders. She later explained those tears during her post-match press conference, “I think it's mainly because I've had, like, there's people that call it a bad memory here. Every time I play a Grand Slam, people ask me am I going to go farther than the third round. Then in Australia I went to the fourth round, then people were like, Are you going to go farther than that or is that where you're going to stop? I don't know, I've always dreamed of playing here and going to the quarterfinals and further. So I'm just glad I could do one of my goals.”
Aftermath: Sabalenka and Osaka continues to excel
This match could have said to be the determining factor of both players’ 2018. Sabalenka, despite the loss, continued to stun the world and hoist the trophy at the Wuhan Open before reaching the quarterfinals of the China Open, putting herself closer to a spot at the WTA Finals although she suffered a late hiccup and was unable to make her top-10 debut.
Many often said that the winner of this match had a good chance to lift the US Open trophy, and they were right. Osaka went on to defeat Madison Keys and Serena Williams to claim her maiden Major title, breaking into the world’s top-10 and setting a name for herself globally. It was easy to see Sabalenka lifting the trophy as well, if she prevailed in this match. Osaka then made the final at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, ending the year inside the world’s top-five.
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