Naomi Osaka did not let her protest against racism and police violence in the USA bother her. The ex-US Open winner moved into the final at the WTA Premier tournament, which was moved from Cincinnati to New York, with a 6: 2.7: 6 (5) over Elise Mertens (BEL-14). In the final, the ex-number one now meets another ex-number 1: Viktoria Asarenka.
The unseeded Belarusian won the second semi-final against Johanna Konta (GBR), who was classified as number 8, with 4: 6.6: 4.6: 1. In the first round of the US Open, Asarenka is opponent of Upper Austrian Barbara Haas, who slipped into the main competition thanks to many rejections. The winner collects $ 285,000 and the finalist $ 153,000.
Osaka had announced on Wednesday because of the protests in US sports against racism and police violence that they would not play against the Belgian Elise Mertens. At the dress rehearsal for the US Open on Thursday, all games were canceled.
“I’m really happy that I was able to play a pretty good level,” said Osaka, who said the past 48 hours had been stressful for her. “I’m also glad I didn’t die mentally.” The latter referred to a deficit in the much narrower second set. (Reuters / dpa)
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