Tokyo — Japan celebrated Naomi Osaka’s victory over Serena Williams in the US Open final, with fans putting her stunning success down to focus and humility as much as her powerful performance at Flushing Meadows. Osaka, the first Japanese player to clinch a Grand Slam singles title, was a picture of calm on Saturday in the midst of her opponent’s meltdown, which cast a pall over the final. The 20-year-old, who was born in Japan but raised in the US, beat her childhood idol 6-2 6-4 on Saturday in a final marred by Williams’s outburst after she was handed a code violation for on-court coaching. The runner-up also smashed her racket and verbally attacked the umpire for penalising her. "Osaka played so well that Serena wasn’t able to play her tennis and she [Williams] got upset," said Mitsuko Sakai, 63-year-old amateur tennis player who woke up at 5am on Sunday in Tokyo to watch the final. "She remained so calm throughout the match" despite the brouhaha, Sakai said. "I was very impresse...
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