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US Open Tennis 2018 Women's Final: Serena Williams vs. Naomi Osaka Preview
September 8, 2018
The old school will seek to reassert its credentials against tennis' new generation in Saturday's U.S. Open women's final as 23-time major-winner Serena Williams looks to beat Grand Slam final debutant Naomi Osaka.
Nineteen years after winning her maiden Grand Slam decider at Flushing Meadows, New York, Williams will welcome another flourishing youngster in Osaka at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Each player has lost one set en route to the women's final, and though Williams, 36, has the distinct edge in experience, she's still searching for her first major crown since winning the 2017 Australian Open.
Her runner-up finish to Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon showed steady improvement on her fourth-round exit at the French Open—her first Grand Slam appearance in almost 18 months—and the question is if she can go one better on Saturday.
Read on for a preview of the 2018 U.S. Open final as Osaka seeks to topple the odds and stamp her footprint as the biggest prospect to watch in women's tennis.
Preview
There's no getting away from the script casting young against old for Osaka's uphill struggle against Williams, a duel between likely the greatest of all time and one only just starting out on her own path to those same aspirations.
The 20-year-old beat Williams in their only meeting to date at the Miami Masters earlier this year, but the stakes are much different for both parties this time around.
Osaka was still only a one-year-old when Williams beat Martina Hingis in the 1999 U.S. Open final to win her first Grand Slam. Hingis was world No. 1 at the time and a favourite to triumph even though Williams had beaten her in Los Angeles weeks prior.
It's a story that draws clear similarities with that of her upcoming battle with Osaka—a precocious but talented youngster in her first Grand Slam final versus the seasoned sage.
Tennis writer Christopher Clarey illustrated the gulf in experience between the two:
That sense of deja vu may give Osaka hope that despite the magnitude of the competition opposite her, this is her occasion to take the spotlight while the bigger and more recognised star steps aside.
Of course, Williams won't go willingly. She's won the U.S. Open on six occasions—joint alongside Chris Evert for the most titles won in the Open Era—and finished runner-up twice more.
Agence France-Presse outlined the statistical differences between her and Osaka, who has a slight advantage in height and will be hoping her own impressive forehand can stand up to that of a legend:
The Japanese phenomenon was quizzed on her affection for Williams in the buildup to Saturday and suggested that without the American, she may never have gotten to this level herself, via WTA:
It's said we should never meet our idols, but Osaka must do so if she's to begin her path to being regarded as the best in the world one day, with question marks over how much longer Williams can last at the top.
After missing playing time due to pregnancy last year, Williams is battling her way back to the tennis peak, and another rising asset, Osaka, will have to overcome big nerves if she's to block her path.