Naomi Osaka ousted in first round of U.S. Open

The U.S. Open once looked like it would be Naomi Osaka’s gateway to greatness for years to come.

After beating her heroine Serena Williams in a controversial final in 2018, Osaka won it all again in 2020 against Victoria Azarenka while making a very public stand for social justice. With that second title, it appeared that her fame would have no limits as she even surpassed Williams in endorsements to become the highest-paid women’s athlete in 2020.

Instead, Osaka, who has been fighting back pain this season and has talked publicly about her mental health challenges, suffered her second straight early exit from the tournament in a late Tuesday night match that didn’t end until Wednesday morning.

It was 19th-seeded Danielle Collins who knocked Osaka out of the tournament, 7-6 (5), 6-3, this year. The loss followed a third-round exit in 2021 after which Osaka said she might need to step away from the game.

This year, the four-time Grand Slam winner has won just two matches at majors, both at the Australian Open. She entered Tuesday night with a 2-4 record since her first-round loss at the French Open, along with one retirement because of a lower back issue in Toronto this month.

Ranked 44th in the world, Osaka said she was happy to get through Tuesday’s match without her back flaring up. Still, she had high hopes for this year’s U.S. Open and was clearly disappointed by her early exit.

“I mean this is what makes you great, like being able to win matches like this even if it’s in the first round,” Osaka said. "This year hasn’t really been a great year.”

Collins, a two-time NCAA singles champion at Virginia ranked 19th in the world, advances to face qualifier Cristina Bucsa in the second round.

By Barbara Barker

barbara.barker@newsday.commeanbarb

Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.