Japanese fourth seed Naomi Osaka reached another US Open final after producing a high-quality performance to edge past American Jennifer Brady.

Osaka, who won the 2018 title, edged an enthralling first set with a dominant tie-break before Brady impressively rallied to force a deciding set.

Both maintained a high level at the start of the third before Osaka took control to win 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-3.

Osaka, 22, will play Serena Williams or Victoria Azarenka in Saturday's final.

Old rivals Williams and Azarenka play their semi-final later on Thursday at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Maturing Osaka earns another shot at US Open glory

Osaka backed up her maiden Grand Slam victory with another triumph at the Australian Open five months later, but then struggled to cope with the increased pressure of being the world's top-ranked player.

Now, after dropping to 10th before the coronavirus pandemic struck, she has returned looking again like a player who could go on to dominate the sport.

Osaka has matured as a person and player since her first Grand Slam wins, with new coach Wim Fissette acknowledging this week that her activism against racial injustice and police brutality in the United States has added further fuel to her mission of winning in New York.

A supreme confidence and a steely resolve has been key to her march through to the semi-finals, where she came up against an opponent with similar traits.

Both players excoriated the ball from the start on a near-deserted Arthur Ashe Stadium, hitting it cleanly and crisply in an opening set where both barely made a mistake.

Brady's path to a maiden Grand Slam semi-final had been unusual compared to most of her peers, having played in the American collegiate system before a relatively late progression to the WTA Tour.

Wayward hitting in the first-set tie-break appeared to suggest the magnitude of an occasion like she had never experienced before may have got to the 25-year-old.

However, she bounced back impressively in the second set as she reset mentally to rock Osaka when the two-time Grand Slam champion's level momentarily dipped in the eighth game.

Source: BBC