Naomi Osaka wins U.S. Open after Serena Williams penalized a game

Just saw this live - I’ve completely utterly lost respect for Serena. Well done Naomi!!

Too bad it ended this way Osaka deserved to win she outplayed Williams.

Yesssssss! What a game from Naomi-chan!! Unbelievable! Only lost 1 set in whole tournaments. First Japanese to ever win a major title! She will be Japan's number one hero now, and will send the spirit of disaster victims soaring. Serena Williams is a bad sport and should now retire. Naomi-chan has arrived!

Well, well, well, Japan's got itself a Grand Slam Champion!

I hope Naomi she stays pure and dignified and never turns into the ranting and raving type of person Serena displayed to be yesterday.

As JT's editor says, let's wait for the final word.

Love tennis. Serena probably deserved to lose, either way, but let's let the court be cleared.

Congratulations to a new champion. That’s always a good thing for sport. Just woke up to this and will be seeking video footage on the net soon. Haven’t been a big fan of Serena, but seems this will take the cake.

Yesssssss! What a game from Naomi-chan!! Unbelievable! Only lost 1 set in whole tournaments. First Japanese to ever win a major title! She will be Japan's number one hero now, and will send the spirit of disaster victims soaring. Serena Williams is a bad sport and should now retire. Naomi-chan has arrived!

I don’t know what it is about your comments that generally give me a sick feeling, even on occasions when I can’t find a reason to disagree with them. And funny thing is I probably even love Japan more than you do.

Serena W. is a diva. Way to suck the life and joy out of another player's high level of play. Any player that breaks their racket or goes on an emotional tirade, as Williams did, shows a lack of mental fortitude. Who was the true adult on the court today? So tired of people making excuses for Serena.

Im delighted that Naomi is our first ever Japanese champ, and she is a mixed blood Japanese like me too.

Serena showed poor class and tarnished the match when she lost the plot, saw red, and couldn’t lose gracefully...but that all played into Naomi’s hand.

I've been casually following tennis for close to 20 years but never knew you could get a game penalty.

Osaka probably would have won it any way, and she would never have dreamt her first ever Grand Slam title would be won in such circumstances. When she was crying on the podium I wasn't sure if she was heartbroken at the boos or if they were tears of joy. Felt sorry for her.

Nice work Naomi!

Serena Williams is a bad sport and should now retire.

Well no, she had a bit of a brain-melt for sure in the heat of the moment, but she is a great sport and the greatest player ever in women’s tennis. The umpire was correct on all counts.

In any case Osaka would have won, nice work Naomi, once again!

Serena inexplicably fell apart after getting the first warning about her coach. Then she started going after the ref. She was losing then lost her composure. Don’t know how this could happen to someone with so much experience. Osaka beat her on the court and mentally. Nice win.

A new kid on the block..

Great performance by Osaka !

Starting to lose? Create drama. Get penalized. Deny the victor a proper victory.

Okay, maybe it's not that simple, but...

@Strangerland... she represents Japan because her Haitian father decided to register her with the Japan tennis association when she turned pro! She has been living in the US since she was 3 years old so she could have chosen to represent the US tennis association after turning pro! Maybe the qualification stages for representing the US is longer as there are too many athletes trying to get the limited slots. Personally, I think that people should represent the country of their citizenship because any person who moves from their birth country and lives abroad permanently should contribute to their new home country! After all, the country in which they reside has given them a new life and it’s only fair to show gratitude accordingly... but that’s just my opinion!

The idea of tennis playing individuals representing a country is daft. The players are themselves, not the country that issues them a booklet that they use when traveling.

I was pretty disgusted with Williams. I've always like her but this was ugly. She never stopped ranting nor let the ump or referees get a word in edgewise. Here's a clip of how it went down:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiBrForlj-k

Congratulations to Naomi. Well deserved.

It will be an interesting media case study the next few days as Japan celebrates its Japanese champion, a person the country might have otherwise treated poorly had she not been successful.

she represents Japan because her Haitian father decided to register her with the Japan tennis association when she turned pro!

Born in Japan, to a Japanese mother, with Japanese citizenship, and living in Japan.

When she was crying on the podium I wasn't sure if she was heartbroken at the boos or if they were tears of joy.

Probably shock. She's 20 years old, had just won against her hero, and was getting booed over something she had nothing to do with. Poor girl. Pretty sad crowd, not cool at all. Boo the score, not the girl won.

People coming on here to bash Serena just didn't like her in the first place,just bandwagoning Naomi being Japanese and venting rubbish.Stop it.

Oh, the race card again? But slightly different this time.....

Serena has a history of this sort of thing. That's why people have some criticisms for her.

The idea of tennis playing individuals representing a country is daft. The players are themselves, not the country that issues them a booklet that they use when traveling.

Totally. I've never given a second thought to a players nationality besides it being the country they happened to be from until now.

Moderator: Readers, please discuss the game, not Osaka's nationality.

"I know that everybody was cheering for her. I'm sorry it had to end like this. I just want to say thank you for watching the match," Osaka said.

Naaa, plenty of us can't stand Serena 'the insufferable dram queen' Williams. Well done Osaka. As for SW, she'll never change (even motherhood won't change her). Such a shame that the greatest female player of all time is such a bad sport.

People coming on here to bash Serena just didn't like her in the first place,just bandwagoning Naomi being Japanese and venting rubbish.Stop it.

Wow, what the heck are you talking about?

I watched the match and I felt bad at how Osaka was treated. Even in defeat (and a pretty bad one), Williams dominated the conversation, completely stealing Osaka's thunder. All that "stop booing" bit was way too late.

Williams is a great player, but bad sportsmanship is bad sportsmanship. Don't try to make excuses otherwise.

Serena, blame your coach! Naomi, you made it! Congratulations... Your really have a very charming character... I hope you’ll improve your japanese skills for the sake of your japanese fans...More power to you...Kei Nishikori, did you watch this match? I shall miss you on tomorrow’s men’s final.

I hope Serena provides evidence and sues the crap out of that referee. There is no reason for her to cheat. The girl who won better consult a magic 8-ball because they are not going to let that go without a fight. Especially with all of the stuff going down with the NFL. They drug test Serena more than any other female player and now they have show they are willing to throw a match for some money.

Oh who cares where she is from? At 20 years of age she held her nerve in the biggest game of her career so far, against the best female tennis player there has ever been, and kept her cool even with the drama involving the other player.

She played great tennis and thoroughly deserved the win. Congratulations to her!

Naomi Osaka won the match, but the article is all about the loser, Williams.

Unfortunately, this is NOT the the first time Serena Williams has done this. It's kind of a open secret among Women's Tennis Association (WTA) circles that Serena has a bad habit of throwing tantrums when things don't go her way.

Poor Naomi Osaka--she was going to win anyway but what happened in this match will sadly overshadow Osaka-san's accomplishments.

What pathetic behavior by Serena talk about a bad loser.

Congratulations to Naomi for a fantastic effort and she should be proud that she played so well in spite of a hostile crowd, she Doesnt need to appologise for anything!

Great for Naomi, total lack of class by Serena, but that is to be expected.

What pathetic behavior by Serena talk about a bad loser.

She embraced Osaka after the match and celebrated her win. No one saw or read that I guess. Players like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors have had many meltdowns and screaming at umpires but everyone thinks they were funny and just being themselves. Serena does it and she's a "diva"?

I was pretty disappointed with the crowd, too. A very hostile reaction to the well-deserved winner and cheering for the one throwing a temper tantrum on the court.

Way-to-go Naomi ! Well played match, best wishes for continue success — stay true to your self and the game and you can’t go wrong.

Well done to Naomi! Brilliant performance all through the tournament, and will be the first of many Majors for her I reckon.All class. And let's stop talking about what nationalities she has.

But what a petulant grub Williams is. Bringing up the child card out on the court "... I have a daughter you know..." while abusing the umpire, acting hysterically and smashing racquets was beyond low. The woman has zero class. Equally matched by the lowlife crowd booing Naomi and cheering on Williams.

Congratulations to Ms Osaka! Sad that she had to experience so much anger on what should be one of the happiest days of her life.

I don’t know what it is about your comments that generally give me a sick feeling, even on occasions when I can’t find a reason to disagree with them. And funny thing is I probably even love Japan more than you do.

puregaijin - I see exactly where you are coming from with that comment. I think it's the way he assumes that everyone in Japan is feeling exactly the same way as him. I prefer to use my Japanese colleagues as a barometer of feelings in the country, who will be pleased but too involved in their own lives to spend much time gloating over the victory.

I just want to congratulate you Naomi, a lot of burden and hurdles to go to final and win, the champion to the world from Japan. I'm proud of you Naomi! Made me cry the whole scene, wonderful player!!

Players like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors have had many meltdowns and screaming at umpires but everyone thinks they were funny and just being themselves

I thought they were irritating spoiled brats.

Serena Williams got the absolute hiding she deserved here.

Well done Naomi Osaka.

Great feat , at last NAOMI OSAKA ,has broken the monopoly of Williams over the game.

Congrats to Ms. Osaka who seems very thoughtful and well-grounded for a 20 year old. Hopefully this will be the start of a long and successful career.

Given three warnings, she lost it because she knew she was losing the game. Well done Osaka!

this one will have a question mark hanging over it until ...

Not really. Naomi outplayed Serena in every aspect throughout. She served better. She returned better. She moved better. She even handled emotion better. There is no question about that regardless of what happened between Serena and officials. It was a quality win - pure and simple. This is the second win in a row against Serena.

Japan celebrates its Japanese champion, a person the country might have otherwise treated poorly had she not been successful. probably a bit like Miss Universe Ariana Miyamoto never really treated as Japanese unless you have the Japaneseness look. Well at least she halfu so Japan can claim half the win

expat I read that this morning after the match. Great piece.

I feel like that several things can be true at once. Osaka was the better player today, whether gifted a game or not. Second, Serena had good cause to be outraged. No reason for an ump to intervene in such a way, during a tight 2nd set, against the GOAT no less. For calling him a thief. Get real. Or being coached from the stands, when everyone is coached in every match. Not to mention an ump earlier in the tourney literally gave Kyrgios a pep talk on the sidelines. Finally, as a father of a Japanese-American girl, I'm thrilled, but I'll remain skeptical about whether this means anything at all about Japan (the NYT piece). The comments that close that article say it all.

I think Serena knew she was beat and did not want to lose fair a square to Naomi. By doing what she did she has made it look like she wasn’t truly beaten by Naomi and leaves doubt in everyone’s minds including Naomi. I wonder how Serena would feel if this had been done to her on her first grand slam win. Wether my speculation is right or wrong I still have no respect for such behaviour from a supposed professional.

A win's a win, but this one will have a question mark hanging over it until she can do it again...

Actually, this is Naomi's second win against Serena. She defeated Serena in March of this year.

In any case, congratulations to Naomi. Well done! I'm sure this is the first of many and it is fitting that your first Grand Slam victory came against your idol. It's just too bad that Serena had to mar it with a tantrum. Even though Serena might have been right, it wasn't necessary to do that.

Serena will bounce back. Nothing motivates her more than being an underdog. Time will tell if Osaka has a sliver of the staying power Serena still commands.

I watched a replay of Naomi Osaka’s prior game (against Madison Keys), and during the post-game interview she was asked why she was excited about playing Serena Williams in the final, and she replied (like a teenager answering a dumb question from an adult) “Because it’s Serena!”

Then, when I asked if she had any comments to Serena before the final she simply said “I love you!”

Given this, it must be saddening to achieve the biggest win of one’s career against an idol under such circumstances.

Serena has a history of this sort of thing. 

In all fairness, so does Nadal, and other men that receive coaching from the stands (even from umpires !) and I've never seen them lose a game over it.

Its nice to see the ref not giving into to someones verbal abuse, just to pacify them. So, when SW asked "to speak to tournament referee Brian Earley," what was his reply? what was his comments? did they replay the video tape and check? if they did and SW was any fault, sorry she's at fault and the point stands, but if they were wrong, it should be deducted or passed onto SW.

I watched a replay of Naomi Osaka’s prior game (against Madison Keys), and during the post-game interview she was asked why she was excited about playing Serena Williams in the final, and she replied (like a teenager answering a dumb question from an adult) “Because it’s Serena!” 

Then, when I asked if she had any comments to Serena before the final she simply said “I love you!”

Given this, it must be saddening to achieve the biggest win of one’s career against an idol under such circumstances.

Well played Naomi you deserved to win. Very disappointed with Serena’s attitude!

A new champion! Well done!

Great match marred by controversy. Naomi kept her cool despite it all

Serena was talking too much. Chair umpire Ramos has a good reputation but should had realized the gravity of the situation that is a grand slam final

The coaching violation was questionable - Serena may or may not have seen it. There definitely had been more egregious coaching violations in women's tennis that haven't been called. And again, it's a grand slam final, and it's questionable - a quick warning should be the start, not to be quick with a code violation

That lit Serena off, and regardless, that's her fault for letting it get to her

As for the 3rd code violation that resulted in loss of a game, the ump should had definitely given a final warning first --given the severe penalty-- instead of outright giving out the penalty without warning. Serena was talking too much, but umps have been called much worse than "you're a thief" (and on a questionable call) and again, it's a grand slam final plus it's 4-3 in the 2nd set - the ump should had realized the gravity of that current situation

A final warning like: "this is your last warning: if you don't stop, you will be assessed a loss of a game." When players are reminded what big penalty they could lose, they usually tone it down significantly. The ump should had realized it would make for a bad image on the match with a loss of game penalty without final warning at 4-3 in the 2nd set in a grand slam final. (Any other time of the tournament, it won't cause nearly as much controversy - but this ain't just any other time)

Usually the ump is there during the award ceremony. The organizers were wise to spirit the ump away to not make the situation worse among the angry crowd. It didn't help that the ump at the time didn't explain the gravity of the penalty to the crowd, so people weren't fully aware what was happening then. That final warning (mentioned above) could had served to explain the situation to the crowd

Hats off to Naomi for winning her first grand slam at her "local" championship (she lived in NY at one point). At least Serena told the angry crowd "no more booing" during Naomi's ceremony. Too bad it'd be talked about more about the controversy

Naomi Osaka, the winner, in every sense of the word, of the 2018 US Open Women's Singles title, should be encouraged to visit Japan, at the earliest opportunity, so that her HISTORY-MAKING triumph over Serena Williams, and her incredibly mature handling of those cretinous, booing, spectators in the crowd, can be recognised by and, celebrated with, people who truly understand and admire the magnitude of her achievement.

Naomi Osaka should be encouraged to visit Japan at the earliest opportunity so that she can have her HISTORY-MAKING triumph over Serena Williams , and a large portion of the spectator crowd, at the 2018 US Open properly acknowledged by, and celebrated with, people who truly understand, and appreciate, the magnitude of her achievement.

I can't help but to think her ranting was deliberately done to take the spotlight away from the Osaka, who was clearly going to defeat her. What a sore loser. She deserves a suspension and US open should be revoked. US fans don't deserve a GS event.

I'm not a tennis person, but just to clarify: Osaka would have won anyway, even without Sarena's penalties. Is that right?

I'm not a tennis person, but did Naomi win even without the penalties on Serena?