Naomi Osaka Feels Inspired By her Memorable US Open Run After Close Defeat to Amanda Anisimova in the Semifinals

Anisimova, on the other hand has also had a spectacular run. She has reached her second consecutive Grand Slam final and avenged her humiliating double bagel Wimbledon final defeat to Iga Swiatek with a straight set win over the Pole this time in the US open quarterfinal. With her run, Anisimova will crack into the Top 5 rankings for the first time.

Amanda Anisimova rallied from a set down to defeat Naomi Osaka

Amanda Anisimova and Naomi Osaka twice traded breaks in a tightly contested opening set. Osaka let out a big roar when the American netted a forehand on set point in the tiebreak. However, the Japanese star struggled to carry the momentum forward in the second set, while Anisimova kept grinding. Osaka lost four consecutive points in the second set tiebreak ultimately losing the set due to a forehand error.

Anisimova was not broken at all in the decider, and built a comfortable 4-1 lead to eventually seal the victory with a scoreline of 6-7(4-7), 7-6(7-3), 6-3. In the final, she awaits defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. It is worth noting that Anisimova had defeated Sabalenka at the Wimbledon semifinal.

Naomi Osaka gets disheartened by Labubu question

Naomi Osaka is known for her on-court fashion choices, and this year too was no different. She wore sparkling outfits and customized, tennis-themed Labubu dolls to her US Open matches. Creative with puns, she had given them various names such as Billie Jean Bling, Arthur Flashe, LaBillieBu, Althea Glitterson, and Andre Swaggassi, modeled after different American tennis icons.

Each doll takes about 13 hours to craft and is made by New York-based artist Kerin Rose Gold. When asked about the Labubu that never was, Osaka at the press conference expressed a sense of sadness:

Oh, don’t make me cry, man. Oh, my God, the most devastating question… I wanted to make one of myself in last year’s outfit, and it was the green one. I would have had the bow, and I’m sick about it. Oh, my God, that’s, like, the worst thing. Honestly, I’m fine losing, but don’t ask me about this Labubu, man. Yeah, it would have been me

For the final match, Osaka had wished to design a Labubu inspired by her last year’s US Open outfit, wherein she wore a green skirt, along with a white jacket that had a green bow. While Osaka did not name the Labubu, one could always give a guess or two, perhaps ‘Naomi Glowsaka’ or ‘Slayomi Osaka’!