Caribbean Roots Tennis Champ Through To US Open Semis

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Sept. 9, 2020: Japanese-born Caribbean roots tennis star, Naomi Osaka, is through to the semi-finals of the 2020 US Open.

The Japanese-Haitian Osaka defeated American Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-4 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium last night wearing a mask honoring George Floyd. It was her fifth mask in the competition that has lauded several African Americans killed by US police.

Osaka has already worn masks honoring Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin earlier in the fanless tournament to awareness against police brutality and social injustice.

During her post-match interview on ESPN, the network showed her videos sent by Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, and Marcus Arbery, Ahmaud’s father, thanking Osaka for her gestures throughout the tournament.

“Actually, I was just trying really hard not to cry,” Osaka said during her post-match press conference “For me, it’s a bit surreal and it’s extremely touching that they would feel touched by what I’m doing. I feel like what I’m doing is nothing. It’s a speck of what I could be doing. So it was really emotional. I feel like after I saw it, at first I was a bit in shock, but now that I’m here and I took some time, I’m really grateful and really humbled.”

The 22-year-old Osaka will face 28th-seeded Jennifer Brady in the semifinals, with a potential rematch of the 2018 finals against Serena Williams looming.