The 2018 US Open Women's Singles final was the championship tennis match of the Women's Singles tournament at the 2018 US Open. It was contested between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, seeded 17th and 20th respectively. Osaka defeated Williams in straight sets, 6–2, 6–4, in one hour and 19 minutes.
The match was historically significant for both players. It was Williams' first US Open after a 12-month hiatus to give birth to her first child in September 2017, and second attempt since her pregnancy (after that year's Wimbledon) to equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles. Osaka was the first Japanese player to contest a Grand Slam women's singles final, and was attempting to become the first Japanese player, male or female, to win a Grand Slam singles title.
The match generated significant controversy due to a series of altercations between Williams and chair umpire Carlos Ramos during the second set. Williams' on-court behavior and Ramos' disciplinary actions, and Williams' responses, particularly her invocation of perceived sexism during her arguments with Ramos and officials, and following the match, polarized the tennis community and media worldwide. The International Tennis Federation issued a statement supporting Carlos Ramos' umpiring during the match, stating that his "decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules and were re-affirmed by the US Open’s decision to fine Serena Williams for the three offences".
Background
The pair met only once previously, with Osaka winning in straight sets in the first round of the 2018 Miami Open.
Williams
At the start of the tournament, Williams had won 23 Grand Slam championships, the most in the Open Era, and second-most of all time, and was attempting to equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam championships, which required her to best her own record of being the oldest female Grand Slam women's singles champion at the time set at the 2017 Australian Open.
2018 marked a highly anticipated comeback for Williams since giving birth in September 2017. Her prior successes, and consequent status as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, attracted significant media interest in her pregnancy and motherhood, where she openly revealed almost suffering near-fatal childbirth-related complications as a result of an emergency Caesarian section, requiring five surgeries and leaving her bedridden for six weeks. She used her struggle to cast light on the issue, consequently being hailed as an inspiration for mothers overall, further adding to public anticipation towards her return to tour.
Williams' return was, however, difficult. Originally intending to return for the 2018 Australian Open, complications from her pregnancy caused her to miss the tournament, leaving her unable to defend her title from the previous year, and delay her return until the Indian Wells Masters that February, where she lost to older sister Venus in the third round. In the Miami Open two weeks later, Williams would face Osaka for the first time, and only time until their US Open match, in the first round, where Osaka upset Williams in straight sets - Williams' earliest ever exit from the Miami Open in her career. Williams' first Grand Slam campaign since her return at the French Open ended disappointingly, as she withdrew before her fourth round match against Maria Sharapova. However, her Wimbledon campaign the following month was more successful, reaching the final. Despite losing to Angelique Kerber in straight sets, her feat of reaching the final in the first place was seen as both a return to form—Sonia Oxley of BBC Sport quipping that "she still has the stamina, spirit and shots to carry on collecting Grand Slam titles", and 2016 men's singles champion Andy Murray noting that "It is tough to bet against her now she's got this far"—and a reinforcement of her status as an icon of motherhood and women's empowerment.
Osaka
Osaka was relatively unknown, beginning the year ranked No. 68, having only entered the top 50 briefly in 2016, and having neither been seeded in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament nor advanced beyond the third round. She had, however, made a break at the 2017 US Open, upsetting defending champion Angelique Kerber in the first round, 6–3, 6–1. She improved upon her Grand Slam record at the 2018 Australian Open, advancing to the fourth round where she lost to world No. 1 and eventual runner-up Simona Halep in straight sets, 6–3, 6–2.
