Labubu lament: Osaka says plush toy for final would've been of herself

NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka's last Labubu at the U.S. Open was going to be Osaka herself.

For Osaka, that was the real bummer about losing one match short of the final.

"Oh, don't make me cry, man," the four-time Grand Slam champion said during her press conference early Friday morning after her 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 semifinal loss to Amanda Anisimova. "Oh my God, the most devastating question."

Osaka had been toting a different version of the popular plush toy attached to her racket bag to each of her matches in Flushing Meadows. She gave them catchy names like Billie Jean Bling (for Billie Jean King), Althea Glitterson (a tribute to Althea Gibson), and Arthur Flashe (as in Arthur Ashe, for whom the main U.S. Open stadium is named.)

Had she been playing in Saturday's final, Osaka said the Labubu would have been patterned after the green skirt she wore last year at the tournament she won in 2018 and 2020, which included a green bow over the white jacket she entered the court wearing.

"I would have had the bow, and I'm sick about it," Osaka said. "Oh, my God, that's like the worst thing. Honestly, I'm fine losing, but don't ask me about this Labubu, man. Yeah, it would have been me."

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