US Open:Osaka Makes Racial Mark With Mask

Naomi Osaka made quite the statement as she took the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium for her opening-round match against Japan’s Misaki Doi.
Osaka was wearing a plain black mask with Breonna Taylor’s name written across the front, honoring the former Louisville EMT who was shot and killed by police in her bed earlier this year.
.@naomiosaka walked out in a Breonna Taylor mask for her night match at Arthur Ashe stadium.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/Ubxwst54kl US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2020
Taylor’s death, along with George Floyd’s in police custody in May and the Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin last month, have sparked a massive social justice movement across the country. Osaka joined countless other athletes around the sports world last week and walked out of her semifinal match at the Western & Southern Open to protest Blake’s shooting.
The tournament eventually suspended play for the day completely.
Osaka, after slipping in her second set, came out strong in the third to beat Doi 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 on Monday night to advance out of the first round.