The racket went flying from her hands, caroming violently off the court, a vivid expression of Naomi Osaka’s frustration. It also marked a bit of foreshadowing.
Here Osaka was, the defending U.S. Open champion, on a Friday night in New York, in front of 20,000 fans and a worldwide TV audience of millions. And there were few places Osaka would less rather have been. The player on the other side of the net—Leylah Fernandez, an 18-year-old Canadian lefty of undersized physique and oversized heart—was making her life difficult. Errors began to infect Osaka’s game. Sadness unfolded her face.