with the trophy after winning her Women’s Singles final match
against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on Day Thirteen of the 2020 US
Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on
September 12, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. Matthew
Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
Japan’s Naomi Osaka came from a set down to beat
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to win the US Open on Saturday and
clinch her third Grand Slam title.
Osaka, the fourth seed, overcame her unseeded opponent 1-6, 6-3,
6-3 inside a near-empty Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing
Meadows.
It brought 22-year-old Osaka’s haul of tennis major trophies to
three after her victories at the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian
Open.
“I didn’t really enjoy that. It was a really tough match for
me,” Osaka said following her 1hr 53min victory.
Azarenka, 31, sprinted to the first set in just 26 minutes,
dominating Osaka with an 88 per cent success rate on her first
serve.
The Japanese was uncharacteristically sloppy, hitting a whopping
13 unforced errors.
Azarenka then went 2-0 ahead in the second set before Osaka
fought back to break her opponent’s serve twice and take a 4-3
lead.
The momentum had quickly swung in Osaka’s favour and she broke a
third time to take the match to a deciding set.
“I just thought it would be very embarrassing to lose this in
under an hour so I just have to try as hard as I can and stop
having a really bad attitude,” said Osaka, explaining the
turnaround.
Osaka enjoyed the first breakthrough of set three in game four
when she broke Azarenka’s serve to take a 3-1 lead.
Azarenka then blew a golden opportunity to get back into the
match, wasting three break points as Osaka recovered from 0-40 to
hold for a 4-1 lead.
Azarenka saved four break points to make it 4-2 as she battled
to keep the contest alive.
When she broke Osaka in game seven, the set was back on
serve.
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But Osaka immediately broke back after Azarenka pushed a
forehand wide to leave herself the opportunity of serving for the
match and title.
On Osaka’s second championship point, Azarenka found the
net.
– ‘This Was Fun’ –
After touching racquets with her opponent, Osaka lay down in the
middle of the court and looked up at the sky in celebration.
“I always see everyone sort of collapse after match point. But I
always think you may injure yourself so I wanted to do it safely,”
Osaka said.
The match was watched by just a few dozen people, mostly
officials, journalists and event staff after the coronavirus
pandemic forced the tournament to be held behind closed doors.
Osaka had walked onto the court wearing a mask bearing the name
of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African-American boy who was shot dead
by a white police officer in Cleveland, Ohio in 2014.
Osaka, of Japanese and Haitian heritage, wore different masks
honoring victims of racial injustice and police brutality in each
round of the tournament.
She also donned face coverings bearing the names of Breonna
Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd
and Philando Castile.
Azarenka, a two-time Grand Slam champion, was playing in her
first tennis major final since losing the 2013 US Open to Serena
Williams.
The last few years of the former world number one’s career have
been disrupted, firstly by injury then by a custody battle over her
son, born in December 2016.
But she enjoyed a fairytale run in New York, clinching the
Western & Southern title before reaching Saturday’s US Open final,
where she lost for the third time.
“I want to thank my team for sticking with me, for believing in
me,” Azarenka said.
“It’s been a long road of getting here, but this was fun,” she
added.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/09/13/osaka-beats-azarenka-to-win-us-open-and-third-grand-slam/
FG Pledges to Provide Relief Materials to Flood Victims
In Kebbi
Following the devastating flooding that washed off over 450,000
hectares of rice farmlands and other crops in Kebbi State a few
days ago, the Federal Government has promised to mitigate by
ensuring that the farmers get improved seeds to restart
planting as soon as the rains recede.
Speaking during an on- the- spot assessment of the devastation
caused by floods in the State, the Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji
Muhammad Sabo Nanono in company of the Executive Governor, Kebbi
State , Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said it was one of the worst
disasters witnessed in recent times and said his visit was to
restore hope and build up confidence for the farmers in the
state.
The Minister who visited the scenes of the floods in Argungu and
also those along the Dukku- Makera Road that were completely washed
off, said, “what I have seen here today is very devastating,
my coming here is at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari who
has sent me to commiserate with the people of Kebbi state over the
flood and to give you hope and assurance that the government is
concerned about your plight and will do something”. He
appealed to the farmers not to despair that the Federal
Government “will address the situation”.
He acknowledged that Kebbi State is one of the major producers
of Rice in the country as well as other crops such as
maize, groundnuts, wheat, sweet potatoes, sorghum and millet,
stating that a loss to Kebbi will affect other states of the
federation.
Nanono said the ministry will immediately set up a special
committee to mitigate the situation and ensure that the dry season
farming will be boosted. He said the ministry will also encourage
the farmers to explore the innovative early harvesting of their
produce as is done with other crops and promised to assist them
with improved seeds.
The State Governor, Senator Abubakar Bagudu lamented the massive
loss to the farmers, explaining that it is not only the rice farms
that are affected but also animal crops and fishing grounds as well
as human lives were affected.He acknowledged the resilience of the
farmers and encouraged them to do more not only to compensate for
lost grounds but also to generate more support.
He said the latest flooding in the state is the worst after the
2012 experience and has affected over 450, 000 hectares of
land stretching over 270km of farmlands. He thanked the Federal
Government for the proactive steps taken to embark on an immediate
assessment visit to the state and promised that the state will
remain focused and consistent with its agricultural programmes.
Hundreds of villages are said to be affected and many homelands
washed away by the floods.
The Minister also visited the Sarki – Kebbi Argungu, Alhaji
Samaila Mohammed Mera and the Emir of Gwandu who is also Chairman,
Kebbi State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Ilyasu Bashar . They
both expressed appreciation for the speedy visit of the Federal
Government to commiserate with the state..
The Emir of Gwandu , Alhaji Bashar said, the flooding has
affected many communities who had no option than to relocate. He
said the disaster came just when the people were
recovering from the shock of covid-19 and listed crops lost
to include; Rice, Millet, Sorghum etc.
The traditional ruler also called on the people to be patient
and appealed to the media to assist in sensitizing them on the
government’s efforts.
The Minister visited the Natsimi Gada of Argungu , also affected
by the flood .
Eno Olotu (Mrs)
DD Information
For: Director, Information