Osaka, 28, is a four-time Slam winner, while Raducanu, who recently turned 23, stunned the sporting world in 2021 when she triumphed at the US Open as a qualifier.
It was long past high time for a meeting of the pair when they finally went head to head at the Washington Open in July.
Raducanu was dominant that day against the former world number one, winning 6-4 6-2 for one of her best results of the year.
Before that match, Osaka said of Raducanu: “For me, she’s, like, the queen, like there’s a royal air around her.
“I feel like whenever I see her or Serena, the kid in me comes out, because they were my favourite players to watch.”
It emerged in that week that the pair were effectively strangers to each other on a personal level, having never had a conversation.
On the court, Raducanu’s game was doing plenty of talking.
“I watched her in Wimbledon, but I think it is different playing someone in real life than playing them or seeing them on TV,” Osaka said after her defeat.
“It was really good to get the experience, to feel how her ball is. Hopefully I can play her again one day.”
Raducanu’s verdict was one of great satisfaction, as she said: “I quite like these kind of match-ups where you’re playing a great opponent, a lot of people have eyes on the match, they’re into it. I’m pleased with how I was able to navigate playing a four-time Slam champ.”
Tennis has made both players wealthy and famous, but they have – perhaps more than most in the sport – suffered away from the court.
Both have experienced a downside to their status, with Raducanu having been followed by a stalker, while Osaka has struggled at times with her mental health and took a break from the sport after losing early at the 2021 US Open, the event where Raducanu’s momentous breakthrough arrived.
AloJapan.com