An emotional Naomi Osaka made a triumphant US Open return by beating Jelena Ostapenko in a blockbuster first-round match.
Japan’s Osaka is a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows, winning the first of her four Grand Slam titles in New York in 2018 and repeating the feat in 2020.
She missed last year’s tournament after giving birth to daughter Shai but watched from the crowd, which reignited her desire to compete.
The former world number one faced a tough task against Latvian 10th seed Ostapenko, but came through 6-3 6-2 in just 63 minutes.
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Osaka covered her face with her towel as she cried tears of joy and relief after the win.