Victoria Azarenka and Naomi Osaka will meet in the United States Open final on Saturday in a nearly empty, cavernous stadium in Queens — and what a shame that will be for fans. On a brilliant night of tennis, Azarenka registered an improbable comeback in a roller coaster of a match against Serena Williams that ended soon after Williams injured her left Achilles’ tendon early in the third set. After a week of shaky play, Williams appeared to have found her form against Azarenka, the rival and fellow mother she has dominated for the past dozen years. Williams was dominant early before Azarenka flipped the match on its head, pushing Williams to a decisive set. Osaka, seeded fourth, topped Brady, the 28th seed, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3 in the first semifinal, a tight battle of big serves and nearly as big forehands.

Source: New York Times September 11, 2020 01:27 UTC