Osaka served 15 aces (more than double her opponent) and committed fewer unforced errors (27 to 45). And for the better part of the two-hour-56-minute match, it looked like she would make it to a fifth Major final, and a third at the US Open.

But with some sublime hitting, ferocious tenacity and incredible bravery, Amanda Anisimova turned the match around to win the gripping semi-final 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3. It brought an end to an amazing run for Osaka.

There was no disappointment however.

“I don’t feel sad. I just feel that I did the best that I could,” Osaka said after the match. “Honestly, it’s kind of inspiring for me because it makes me want to train and try to get better and give it my very best shot again and see what happens. I can’t be mad or upset at myself.”

Despite not winning a fifth Grand Slam title, she has finally found a spark she has been waiting for, for a long time.

The 27-year-old spent almost 17 months away from the sport on maternity leave, only returning to the tour in January 2024. But the former world No.1 did not quite get back to her best immediately. She wasn’t winning the matches she was expected to win, and the climb back up the ranking ladder – she had gone down to the world No.833 spot – was not as swift.

“When all the moms came back (to the tour after giving birth) and they did well kind of off the bat, I sort of felt like there was something wrong with me,” Osaka had said after her quarter-final.

“I know that Belinda (Bencic, who gave birth in April 2024) made the semis of Wimbledon (2025, her second Grand Slam appearance since returning to the tour). I just really felt like I was losing a race in some sort of weird way. That was on my mind, and now I’m here and I feel like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders.”

Before the defeat to Anisimova though, a second round loss to Emma Raducanu in Washington DC in July served her well.

“I called a roundtable of my team, and I was just very confused (about) how confident I was in myself,” Osaka said earlier this week. “Because even though I lost, I remember telling them, ‘I think I can beat anyone from the baseline still, and we just have to figure out if I have to change my game plan or if I just have to do something new and different.’”

That prompted the appointment of new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who previously worked with Iga Swiatek. Osaka explained that Wiktorowski has helped her become more efficient when returning serve and be more patient in rallies.

They have worked together in only two tournaments so far, but the results have been impressive. Osaka reached the final of the Montreal Masters last month, which helped her earn a seeding at a Grand Slam for the first time since the Australian Open in 2022.

The 23rd seed’s run to the US Open semi-final is expected to take her ranking up to the world No.14 spot.

Now that she’s found the momentum she had been searching for, she’s looking to take bigger strides.

“Getting far in the US Open was definitely a confidence booster. But the season’s not done yet,” she said on Friday. “I don’t know what ranking I’m up at, but I think I’m getting up there. Doing well in the Asian swing and then closing off the rest of the year is my goal now.”