Osaka savours Beijing title after US Open letdown

An emotional Naomi Osaka said that she had atoned for the disappointment of the US Open after beating world number one Ashleigh Barty in the China Open final on Sunday.

In the men's draw, top seed Dominic Thiem recovered from a set down against Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim the 15th singles title of his career.

The 21-year-old Osaka has had a turbulent year, winning the Australian Open but then suffering a dip in form which included exiting Flushing Meadows in the last 16.

But the two-time Grand Slam champion from Japan surged back to win her home Pan Pacific Open last month and made it back-to-back titles with victory in Beijing.

Osaka defeated teenage US Open champion Bianca Andreescu and then French Open winner Barty on the way to the fifth crown of her young career.

Winning in Japan and China had been her aim after the US Open letdown, where she was the defending champion and top seed.

"I don't want to say I planned (it), but I really meditated on it. It just feels like I accomplished what I set out to do," she said.

"I didn't play those two tournaments for myself, I kind of played them for my team because the US Open wasn't that great and I felt very apologetic."
But the top-ranked 23-year-old said: "I'm extremely proud. Proud that myself, my team, we turn up for every single tournament, regardless of when it is during the year, what the conditions are like."
- Thiem wins 15th title -
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