WATCH: Naomi Osaka breaks down in tears as she defeats Jelena Ostapenko in US Open 2024 1R to score 1st top 10 win in 4 years

Naomi Osaka broke down in tears after defeating Jelena Ostapenko in the first round at the 2024 US Open. This was her first top-10 victory in four years, with her last top-10 win coming against Kiki Bertens at the 2020 Brisbane International.

Osaka has been on a comeback trail after giving birth to her daughter Shai. She won her first match back from the maternity break against Tamara Korpatsch. Her comeback journey has had its share of ups and downs.

From coming close to beating Iga Swiatek at the 2024 French Open and winning her first match at Wimbledon in three years to losing in the qualifiers at the Cincinnati Open, her season has been inconsistent.

Now the Japanese is back at her familiar hunting ground, where she famously won her first Grand Slam title, defeating Serena Williams in the final in 2018. She repeated the feat again in 2020 against Victoria Azarenka.

At the 2024 US Open, she faced a tough first-round opponent in Ostapenko, but the former World No. 1 breezed past the Latvian to reach the second round, with the scoreline reading 6-3, 6-2. This is her first win at Flushing Meadows in three years. Osaka was overwhelmed with emotions as she teared up after clinching the victory.

Watch the video below:

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Naomi Osaka - "Whenever I step foot here, I don't really think about the two tournaments I won"

Naomi Osaka won the US Open in 2018 and 2020 (Image: Getty)

Naomi Osaka talked about how playing at the US Open helped to increase her confidence level. The Japanese told the press ahead of the New York Slam that playing 'really hard' matches throughout the year has affected her confidence negatively.

"I feel like, for me, throughout the year I have had really hard matches, and it kind of dipped my confidence a little. I wouldn't say that I played bad tennis. I just would say that I played really good players, and I also learned a lot," Osaka said.

Osaka said that whenever she comes to play in New York, she does not think about her past glory. Rather, she gets nostalgic as she used to watch the US Open as a kid.

"I do think coming to this specific tournament helps me out [with confidence]. But also, whenever I step foot here, I don't really think about the two tournaments I won. I just think about how I felt when I was a kid, because I did grow up coming here, and I have such vivid memories of watching my favorite players. It's more of a childhood nostalgia that I really enjoy," she said.

Naomi Osaka will now take on Karolina Muchova in the second round.