NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: Naomi Osaka of Japan kisses the championship trophy after winning the Women’s Singles finals match against Serena Williams of the United States on Day Thirteen of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Chris Trotman/Getty Images for USTA/AFP
US Open champion Naomi Osaka insisted she was mystified by Serena Williams’ spectacular meltdown which saw the American legend accuse the chair umpire of being a “liar and a thief”.
“I didn’t know what was going on, I was just trying to focus. Since it was my first Grand Slam final, I did not want to get overwhelmed,” said 20-year-old Osaka after her 6-2, 6-4 win.
Williams was handed a code violation for coaching, a penalty point for racquet abuse and a game penalty for calling umpire Carlos Ramos a “liar and a thief” and insisting “you owe me an apology”.
“Serena came to the bench and told me she had a point penalty and when she got the game penalty I didn’t know that either,” said Osaka, the first Japanese player to clinch a Grand Slam singles title.