It all began with the slightest of hand gestures by a coach in Serena Williams’s box and ended in chaos, recrimination and, oh, yes, Naomi Osaka’s remarkable upset victory.
Here’s a breakdown of what happened in the women’s final of the 2018 U.S. Open:
A Dream Matchup
Osaka, a shy, 20-year-old who was born in Japan but moved to the United States at age 3, grew up admiring and emulating Williams. She even did a school report on Williams in third grade that she was very proud of.
She admitted before the tournament began that it had long been her dream to play Williams in a Grand Slam final, and that dream came true.