US Open Tennis 2020 Women's Final Schedule, Prediction and Prize Money

Two weeks after they were supposed to meet in the Western & Southern Open final, Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka will face off in the 2020 U.S. Open women's singles final. 

Azarenka has not lost since arriving in New York ahead of the tune-up tournament, which she won after Osaka pulled out of the final because of injury concerns. 

Osaka shook off whatever fitness issues she had and ran through the top half of the bracket. 

Following upsets in her part of the draw, Osaka only had to beat a pair of seeded players to reach Saturday's championship match.

Azarenka soldiered through the tougher road to the final as she eliminated four ranked players, a run that was extended by her first-ever win over Serena Williams at a Grand Slam in the semifinals. 

U.S. Open Women's Final Information

Date: Saturday, September 12

Start Time: 4 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN 

Live Stream: ESPN.com or ESPN app

Prize Money: Winner: $3 million, Runner-up: $1.5 million

Prediction

No. 4 Naomi Osaka over Victoria Azarenka

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Osaka and Azarenka entered the U.S. Open in some of the best form of the tournament entrants, and that was showcased in the six wins each player produced. 

Osaka landed a spot in the final through a victory over No. 28 Jennifer Brady, who did not lose a set in the first five rounds. 

Gutting out a three-set win is nothing new for Osaka in New York, as she went the distance in half of her matches. 

One of the only weaknesses Osaka has shown is her second-set play. In her trio of three-set wins, she lost the second set in each. 

On Thursday, Osaka failed to earn a break point against Brady in the second set and converted on eight winners.

In a three-set win in the third round, Osaka won one of nine break-point opportunities in the second set versus Marta Kostyuk.

In Saturday's final, the second set could swing the momentum of the match, or be the final point for the champion to assert her dominance.

Azarenka's game came alive in the middle set Thursday against Williams, as she rallied back from losing the first set 6-1. 

The two-time major champion took the next two sets through a 6-3 score by significantly improving her service numbers. 

In the first set, Azarenka committed four double faults and won just 40 percent of her first-serve points. The unseeded player won over 73 percent of her first-serve points in the final two sets. 

If the unseeded player struggles to get going again Saturday, Osaka could take advantage of her miscues and surge to an early advantage. 

Osaka won 21 of her 22 first-serve points and faced a single break point in the opening set against Brady. 

If she serves at the same rate and finds a way to avoid second-set struggles, Osaka could leave Arthur Ashe Stadium with her second U.S. Open title in three years and third overall Grand Slam championship.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from USOpen.org