Williams vs. Osaka: A Dream Match at the US Open

 

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American tennis player Serena Williams is looking to make history by winning a record 24th Grand Slam¹ title at the U.S. Open on Saturday.

Across the net will be 20-year-old Naomi Osaka. She has already made history of her own; she is the first Japanese woman to reach a Grand Slam tennis final.

Osaka played Williams earlier this year in Miami, Florida. Williams was still returning to form after giving birth to her daughter last September. Osaka won the match 6-3, 6-2.

At important points during that match, Osaka said she asked herself, “What would Serena do?” Then, she served aces³ just like her idol⁴ would.

Osaka said of Williams after that match, “She’s the main reason why I started playing tennis.”

Naomi Osaka

Osaka was born in Osaka, Japan, to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father. She holds both Japanese and American citizenship⁵. But she has chosen to compete for the Japanese Tennis Association⁶.

“I can understand way more Japanese than I can speak,” Osaka told reporters at USA Today. “And when I go to Japan people are confused. From my name, they don’t expect to see a black girl.”

Already in her short career, Osaka has become known for defeating several top players in women’s tennis.

Osaka beat former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia in 2014, not long after becoming a professional. And in last year’s U.S. Open, she defeated defending champion Angelique Kerber in the first round.

On Thursday, Osaka defeated American Madison Keys to reach the U.S. Open final. Keys was runner-up in last year’s U.S. Open.

After her victory, Osaka was asked how she was able to play well Keys at several critical moments of the game. She said, “This is going to sound really bad, but I was just thinking I really want to play Serena.”

Osaka added, “I always dreamed that I would play Serena in the final of a Grand Slam.”

Serena Williams

Osaka’s dream has come true. Williams easily won her semifinal match Thursday against Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia.

Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles, including seven U.S. Open championships. She missed the 2017 U.S. Open because she gave birth to her daughter on September 1. Williams then had to take time off from tennis because of her difficult birth experience.

A win Saturday would be Williams’ first Grand Slam title as a mother. It would also give her a record-tying 24 Grand Slam victories. Australia’s Margaret Court currently⁷ holds the record.

After her win on Thursday night, Williams said, “No matter what happens in any match – semis, finals – I just feel like I’ve won already.”

Williams’ first Grand Slam title came in 1999 at the U.S. Open. At the time, Osaka was not yet two years old.

Osaka gave a simple answer when asked what her message is to Williams ahead of Saturday’s final.

“I love you,” Osaka said.

And that’s What’s Trending Today.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

title - n. the position of being the champion in a sport

confused - adj. difficult to understand

ace² - n. a point scored on a serve that an opponent⁸ fails to hit in tennis

idol - n. a greatly loved or admired person

runner-up - n. a person or team that finishes in second place

1 slam   

v.猛力地推、放或扔；砰地关上

参考例句：

• They were surprised by the slam of a car door.关汽车门时发出的声音使他们很吃惊。
• Why should you slam the window?你干吗要使劲关窗户呢？

2 ace   

n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的

参考例句：

• A good negotiator always has more than one ace in the hole.谈判高手总有数张王牌在手。
• He is an ace mechanic.He can repair any cars.他是一流的机械师,什么车都会修。

3 aces   

abbr.adjustable convertible-rate equity security (units) 可调节的股本证券兑换率；aircraft ejection seat 飞机弹射座椅；automatic control evaluation simulator 自动控制评估模拟器n.擅长…的人( ace的名词复数 )；精于…的人；（ 网球 ）（对手接不到发球的）发球得分；爱司球

参考例句：

• The local representative of ACES will define the local area. ACES的当地代表将划定当地的范围。 来自互联网
• Any medical expenses not covered by ACES insurance are the sole responsibility of the parents. 任何ACES保险未包括的医疗费用一律是父母的责任。 来自互联网

4 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

5 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

6 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

7 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

8 opponent   

n.对手，敌手，反对者；adj.敌对的，反对的

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• After a fierce struggle,he got a beat on his opponent.经过殊死的较量，他占了对手的上风。