OSAKA RETURNS...

WHAT HAPPENED: Returning to the US Open semifinals for the first time since 2018, when she captured her maiden Grand Slam title, Naomi Osaka outslugged unseeded American Shelby Rogers, 6-3, 6-4, on Tuesday night under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It marked a reversal of fortune for the 4th-seeded Japanese superstar, who had come up short in three previous encounters with Rogers without winning a single set.

"I just felt like she had the upper hand because I had never beaten her. Those memories were stuck in my head. I consider this a little bit of revenge," said Osaka, who took the court with 'GEORGE FLOYD' spelled out across her face mask. "I'm glad I was able to have a much better positive attitude today."

"I've had a couple of really hard matches that make me grateful to be in this position right now."

Osaka, 22, who two years ago became the youngest champion in Flushing Meadows since Maria Sharapova in 2006, was on her game from the start. She smacked five aces in the 38-minute opening set, and dropped just nine points on her serve. Ahead 4-3, she broke the 93rd-ranked Rogers at love, punctuated by a crosscourt forehand winner.

The two-time Slam champion struck again early in the second set, sprinting out to a 3-1 advantage against Rogers, who had saved four match points to stun No. 12 Petra Kvitova in the Round of 16 on Sunday. The unforced errors began to mount for the 27-year-old, who would amass 27 in the one-hour, 19-minute contest.