US OPEN 2018| Naomi Osaka's historic victory overshadowed by Serena William on-court meltdown

It was an iconic moment for Naomi Osaka after she became Japan's first ever Grand Slam champion after she won the US Open beating Serena Williams - who she referred to as her idol while growing up. However, her triumphant moment was overshadowed by William's on-field outburst with the match umpire.

Japan's Noamo Osaka defeated Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 to secure her first Grand Slam title of her career. But it was Serena Williams who grabbed all the headlines after her verbal spat with the umpire on the court.

The incident occurred during the second game of the second set, when Spanish umpire Carlos Ramos charged Serena Williams with a code violation for receiving illegal coaching. Serena responded to the accusation, by telling the chair umpire that the hand gesture was a misunderstanding, but the umpire refused to hear her plea and the conversation soon turned into a heated argument.

The drama didn't just end there, there was further controversy on the night with Serena Williams smashing her racquet in frustration after losing the fifth game of the second set. She earned another penalty point for the subsequent offense. Left angered by the decision, she went on to call umpire Carlos Ramos a “liar and a thief” and insisted that he owed her an apology.

In a game of tennis that was headlined by on-field controversy, saw Naomi Osaka been crowned champion after she remained cool and completely outclassed her opponent. The manner in which the events transpired suggests that the pressure of amassing a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title got to Serena Williams. However, the American put her loss behind her and maintained a friendly demeanor with her counterpart after the match. 

But as it seemed, the biggest winner on the day was the biggest loser. During the presentation ceremony, huge sections of the crowd started booing not because Osaka had won, but because of the treatment, Serena Williams had to endure by the match official. In a touch of class, Serena immediately asked the crowd to stop booing and cheer for the Japanese instead.

A tearful Naomi, who played like a champion, apologized to the booing crowd for the manner in which the match transpired. In a heartfelt statement, she said: "I know that everyone was cheering for her and I'm sorry it had to end like this. I just want to say thank you for watching the match. It was always my dream to play Serena in the US Open finals so I'm really glad I was able to do that."