Noami Osaka is closing in on another huge title.

Interesting starts for (17) Keys vs. American countrywoman (LL) Pera, the struggling (9) Stephens vs. Pavlyuchenkova, (3) Kerber vs. the unpredictable Mladenovic, (10) Goerges vs. Konta, (7) Pliskova vs. (WC) Stosur, (12) Ostapenko vs. Rybarikova, (14) Muguruza vs. Makarova, and (2) Wozniacki vs. Bencic…

The chaos and controversy over the women’s final at the US Open continues.

Naomi Osaka is the this new Grand Slam champion this year.

A dumpster-fire of a trophy ceremony saw the crowd booing and Osaka crying. Williams to her credit told the crowd to stop booing, but the damage had been done.

“This is going to sound really bad,” Osaka said on what she was thinking during the match, “but I was just thinking — I really wanted to play Serena. Because she’s Serena.”

“To break in both sets, having solid games there, was really important tonight,” Keys said afterwards.

“The crowd was really for me and I felt so bad that I wasn’t winning,” said Williams. “I said ‘I got to try even harder.’”

Tough starts for (4) Kerber vs. Pavlyuchenkova who she is 6-6 career against, the wrist-addled (13) Keys vs. (WC) Mattek-Sands in an all-American, (9) Pliskova vs. Radwanska (winner to meet Konta), (6) Garcia vs. (WC) Azarenka, (8) Kvitova vs. the Serena-Gavrilova winner, (15) Mertens vs. Rybarikova who she has a losing record against, (5) Svitolina vs. (WC) Kuznetsova, and (2) Wozniacki vs. the Bertens-Vandeweghe winner…

The outrageous number of opening-round seeds vs. floaters match-ups includes (16) Kyrgios vs. (WC) Wawrinka, (11) Schwartzman vs. Edmund, (6) Cilic vs. Coric, (3) Del Potro vs. Nishikori, (14) Fognini vs. Johnson (winner to meet Shapovalov), (5) Dimitrov vs. Verdasco, (10) Goffin vs. Raonic, (4) Anderson vs. Rublev, (7) Thiem vs. the fast-rising Tsitsipas, (9) Djokovic vs. Chung, and (2) Zverev vs. Ferrer…

The Group of Death contains two former No. 1s, a No. 2, and last year’s US Open semifinalist and quarterfinalist among other floaters…Tough starts for (5) Svitolina vs. the grasscourt title-winner Maria, (21) Sevastova vs. Giorgi, (32) Radwanska vs. Safarova 2nd rd., and (2) Wozniacki vs. Makarova 2nd rd…(25) Serena’s early path is former world No. 1 junior Arantxa Rus, a qualifier/wildcard, then (5) Svitolina, then (10) Keys.

Naomi Osaka was a force on the red clay.

Tough starts went to (1) Halep vs. the Azarenka-Osaka winner, (13) Keys vs. Pavlyuchenkova, (9) Stephens vs. the crafty Strycova, (3) Muguruza vs. the Gavrilova-Bellis winner, (16) Barty vs. Sharapova…

Former champions in the field are Kasatkina (2017), Stephens (2016), Andrea Petkovic (2014), and Stosur (2010).

“I always knew that she can produce a great game,” Svitolina said regarding Osaka. “All the times we played, we played quite a bit now…I think I was playing pretty solid today, serving good. This was the key for today. Making it physical, as well.”