One of the unfortunate side effects of Saturday’s controversial U.S. Open women’s final is 20-year-old Naomi Osaka’s first Grand Slam title being somewhat overshadowed by the events involving Serena Williams and chair umpire Carlos Ramos.
Williams was the crowd favorite at the U.S. Open, and there was definitely some disappointment to see her lose, especially the way she did. The game penalty assessed to her late in the match added fuel to those who felt she was robbed of a winnable match, and unfortunately, a number of fans took it out on Osaka’s Instagram comments.
It’s disappointing to see this, as it detracts from what was an outstanding performance by the 20-year-old. Many of these comments choose to ignore that one vital fact: Osaka was already winning when Williams was assessed the game penalty. She won the first set 6-2 in dominant fashion and was up a break when the game penalty was assessed, seemingly on her way to winning even without it as long as she held serve, and the game penalty came when Osaka would have been serving anyway.
Some will argue that, right or wrong, the umpire’s decisions were frustrating and distracting for Williams and helped lead to the break. Others will suggest she could have broken back during the set that ultimately was awarded to Osaka. Maybe so, but the reality of the situation was that Osaka was the better player on Saturday even before the umpiring controversy erupted. Ignoring that is unfair to her. The circumstances of the match are controversial, and understandably so. The fact that Osaka won it shouldn’t be.
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