US Open Tennis 2020 Results: Thursday Winners, Scores, Singles Draw Update

Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka are set to meet in the Women's singles final at the U.S. Open following a pair of drama-filled semifinal matches Thursday. 

Osaka defeated Jennifer Brady in three sets (7-6, 3-6, 6-3) while Azarenka took down Serena Williams (1-6, 6-3, 6-3). 

Williams is now winless in her last nine major tournaments, equalling the longest drought of her career. For Azarenka, the win bookends the second longest layoff between major finals in women's singles: seven years.

Azarenka's face lit up on the court when she was told how long it's been.

"Seven is my favorite number," Azarenka said.

Two years after Osaka and Williams met in the U.S. Open final, it'll be Osaka and Azarenka playing for the title. 

Osaka leads their head-to-head series at 2-1. 

Women's Singles Results

No. 4 Osaka def. No. 28 Brady: 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-3

Azarenka def. No. 3 Williams: 1-6, 6-3, 6-3

Women's Singles Final

No. 4 Naomi Osaka vs. Victoria Azarenka

Date: Saturday, September 12, 4 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Streaming: ESPN.com

Osaka Holds Off Brady

The 2018 U.S. Open champion couldn't shake Brady until the third set, and up until then there was good reason to worry if she'd advance at all.

Osaka needed a tiebreaker to nab the opening set but Brady continued to settle in and came back with a strong second set.

Overall, Osaka won 99 points to Brady's 88 with the games going in Osaka's favor by the slimmest of margins, 16-15. Thursday marked the first time all tournament an opponent won five games in a set against Brady. She'd have to do it once more in the third set in order to advance. 

That wasn't going to be easy.

Brady's resilience was on full display in the second set as she shut down the former champion with a flurry of points at the net. 

The winning point came 2:08 after the match begin with Osaka serving. A 116 mile per hour serve proved too much for Brady to handle and the No. 28 seed returned it straight into the net as Osaka doubled over in relief. 

Injured Serena Falls To Azarenka

It came down to a challenge. 

Serena Williams and her injured ankle hoping a video replay would keep her U.S. Open hopes alive when a Azarenka ace that flew a little close to the line appeared to have ended them. 

The anti-climatic ending to an otherwise unrelenting battle took just a moment. The ace was confirmed, Williams was eliminated and Azarenka was moving on.

It certainly wasn't the moment many expected after Williams made quick work of her opponent in the first set, but the No. 3 seed quickly ran into trouble in the set second.

Five unforced errors put Williams at a 4-2 deficit with more trouble looming after she eventually lost the set, 6-3. 

While attempting a comeback in the third set, Williams turned her ankle down a game and tied at 40-40. Williams stood hobbled over for a minute before retreating to the sidelines for medical attention.

Trainers came out to work on her ankle for a bit, then rewrapped it so she could get back out on the court. If there were any improvements, they weren't exactly noticeable. Williams won two more games to make it 5-3, but couldn't hang on much longer.

Azarenka held serve with a victory on the line and wouldn't let Williams create another signature moment at Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

The final tally saw Azarenka win 81 points to Williams' 78 while taking a 13-12 advantage in games won. Williams had six aces to Azarenka's two, but it was the final one of the evening that ended Williams' tournament.