WATCH: Naomi Osaka’s Fighting Spirits in Her Most Watched Match of 2020

Published 12/26/2020, 10:20 AM EST

Japanese ace Naomi Osaka continued her way upward after another fantastic season in 2020. Osaka continued her streak of winning a Grand Slam every year since 2018 as she won the US Open 2020. She defeated fellow Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka in a tightly contested final. It was Osaka’s most-watched match of 2020.

Osaka is a popular figure not just in Asia but also in the West. Being a Japanese citizen, she is very popular among Japanese fans and also a lot of Asian fans as well. Owing to her Haitian roots and American background, Osaka is very much remembered in the Americas as well. So whenever she plays, she attracts a good crowd and viewership.

Her most-watched match of 2020 was the US Open 2020 final, which amassed millions of views on YouTube, and a worldwide viewership of 2.15 million. The match certainly encapsulated everything. The US Open 2020 was the first Major after the coronavirus pandemic stoppage. Naturally, players and fans were excited about the match.

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How the US Open 2020 final: Naomi Osaka vs Victoria Azarenka unfolded

The final was a see-saw. Azarenka was racing away with the match in the first set. The Belarusian dominated the first half-hour, winning the first set 6-1 and led the second set 2-0. It looked like Azarenka would finally win her first US Open, but Osaka made a stunning comeback.

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Osaka was slow initially but picked up the pace. From being 2-0 down in the second set, she won the second set 6-3. Now the tide had turned in Osaka’s favor and she looked a clear favorite.

The deciding set was gritty as Osaka took a strong 4-1 lead. But Azarenka made an unlikely comeback late on to make it 4-3. But service games were the Achilles heel for Azarenka, and Naomi broke her again. Osaka then served out the match and won her second US Open title in three years.

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Osaka had a poor start to the 2020 season. She picked up her form post-pandemic restart, and that changed her fortunes.

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Bhavishya Mittal is a tennis author for EssentiallySports, who is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Manipal University. A former sports editor for The Manipal Journal, Bhavishya has also worked for The New Indian Express. He has a keen eye for many sports but he is a particularly ardent follower of tennis, with a zest to create riveting articles on the ever-evolving sport.

WATCH: Naomi Osaka’s Fighting Spirits in Her Most Watched Match of 2020

How the US Open 2020 final: Naomi Osaka vs Victoria Azarenka unfolded

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