In defeat, Osaka rediscovers her belief on the biggest stage

Naomi Osaka walked off Arthur Ashe Stadium late Thursday night with something she didn’t expect: peace. Her three-set duel with Amanda Anisimova -- nearly three hours of pounding rallies and shifting tides -- ended in a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 loss, leaving the four-time major champion short of a third US Open final. But her words afterward told a different story.

“Honestly, I don't feel sad,” she said in her postmatch press conference. “It's really weird. Well, it's not weird, because I just feel like I did the best that I could. Honestly, it's kind of inspiring for me, because it makes me just want to train and try to get better, and hopefully, yeah, just give it my very best shot again and see what happens.”

The loss was her first in a Grand Slam semifinal -- she had been perfect in this stage until now -- yet Osaka framed it as progress. After a year spent finding her way back from maternity leave, she reached her deepest run at a major since 2021, collected five more wins in New York to push her US Open tally to 28 -- more than she has in any other Slam -- and secured a return to the Top 15.

There were moments that stung. Serving at 4-all in the second set, Osaka held three game points before Anisimova reeled off five points in a row to grab the break and change the tone of the set.

“It's kind of hard to say,” Osaka said when asked about the turning point of the match. “I think you can kind of only live and learn, and for me, obviously I didn't remember it until you said it, so now I'm thinking about it.”

But the numbers tell their own story: 43 aces, most of any woman in the tournament; 142 winners, second only to Anisimova. For someone who set her goal this season at simply being seeded at majors, it’s been a leap forward.

“Getting far in the US Open was definitely a confidence-booster,” she said. “I honestly got a little farther than I thought I would … obviously I want to do well in Australia. I always happen to play well there.”

The only time her composure cracked after the match came on a lighthearted question about her Labubu figurines, which she collects and had planned to customize with a bow from last year’s US Open kit.

“Oh, don't me cry, man,” she said, laughing. “I wanted to make one of myself in my last year outfit, and it was the green one. I would have had the bow, and I'm sick about it. Oh, my God, that's the worst thing. Honestly, I'm fine losing, but don't ask me about this Labubu, man.”

Even in defeat, Osaka stressed how much this season has already given her. She admitted the aches and pains are part of the territory at this stage, but framed them as “the price of playing really high-level tennis.” What mattered more was the mindset shift that carried her back to Arthur Ashe.

“Even before playing this tournament, I already exceeded my expectations,” she said. “My worst year is someone's best year, in retrospect. So I just have to find ways to trick my mind into being positive.”

Her hardest work, she explained, has been mental, accepting smaller stages earlier in the year, staying humble and reminding herself why she plays.

“I want to play matches,” Osaka said. “I want to play in Arthur Ashe Stadium and doing whatever it takes to get there. I think just willing to accept the grind for me is something that I worked really hard on.”

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