Naomi Osaka prepares for the first Grand Slam final, plays Serena Williams in 2018 during the US Open final

NEW YORK – Naomi Osaka entered her press conference on Thursday night, as if she were stunned.

It was almost midnight, moments after the biggest victory of his life. Her 6-2, 6-4 win over Madison Keys in the US Open semifinal meant that the 20-year-old would be playing her first Grand Slam final Saturday against her long-time hero. But Osaka does not smile. Until that, she started talking.

"It's a little surreal," she said. "Even when I was little, I always dreamed of playing Serena [Williams] in the final of a Grand Slam. Just the fact that it happens, I'm very happy with it. "

But if she ran into Queens and her play at Indian Wells in the spring is an indication, she may want to get used to playing on the bigger stages. She was ranked No. 44 in the world and had just recruited her former partner, Sascha Bajin, beating Maria Sharapova, Karolina Pliskova, Simona Halep and Daria Kasatkina to win the Indian Wells title. Combined with his charming and quirky interviews, it was a night out for Osaka, who was not even a year old when Williams clinched his first Grand Slam title in 1998.

In her next game at the Miami Open, she played Williams for the first time and won 6-3, 6-2. While the two have since said it was not the best effort of the Grand Slam champion, and it was only her fourth game after her maternity leave, Osaka was still in the game. "I just wanted to impress him, and I just wanted him to say," Come on! "One time, and I think she did, so I'm really happy with that," she said after the match, before just writing, "Omg" on Twitter. But Osaka struggled from there. She dropped in the next round and lost in the third round at the French Open and Wimbledon. She has received first appearances at Citi Open, Rogers Cup and Cincinnati.

"In Cincinnati, after losing three games in a row, I was in the locker room and I was crying because I thought," Wow, I'm really bad at tennis, "she said Thursday.

"Then I came here and I just thought, I'm going to have fun and fight for every point I can." I'm still here, so I'm happy to have lost all three games because I think my mentality would have been different in this tournament. "

Sure to say, these losses feel like there is a life. Osaka has played the best tennis of his career in the last two weeks and has lost only one set en route to the final. She saved 13 of the 13 break points against Keys, who had won the previous three games. Keys, second vice president of the US Open in 2017, had only praise for Osaka after the match.

"For a first semifinalist on a big stage and all that, it was really impressive, she held all her time and never really had a problem," Keys said. "I think if she plays like she did tonight, she can definitely give Serena a chance for her money, it will be a very good match, I'm sure to watch it."

She's not alone with her complementary words. Twitter was boiling and everyone, from Star Jones to Soledad O 'Brien, was praising Osaka. Words and phrases like "superstar" and "unlimited potential" were heard by enthusiastic fans as they walked out of the stadium.

In fact, win or lose on Saturday, it's like being crowned as Osaka's next big thing. Although Williams seems to be very aware of his game and has not indicated any plans to move away anytime soon, Osaka seems to be the future. If it is not the present. Osaka is the youngest player to advance to the final since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009.

Known for her candid remarks to the media, she said in 2016 that her ambitions were "to be the best, as no one has ever been". She then, in perfect form, clarified that it was actually the theme song "Pokemon", but insisted that the intention was still true. Two years later, and still revered for her cheesy coolness, it seems like she might be on her way.

Born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, the family moved to New York at the age of 3 and settled in Florida a few years later. She represents Japan on the court, but feels in many ways as she represents the best of America and her melting pot ideals. Fans with Japanese and Haitian flags were inside Arthur Ashe on Thursday, and the crowd seemed to react more to Osaka, despite his American opponent.

As the first Japanese to qualify for the Grand Slam final, she is already part of history and a victory would make her just the second Asian woman, behind China's Li Na, to win a singles title. Although she retired more than four years ago, Li remains one of the most bankable stars in Asia and it would seem that Osaka can follow in her footsteps.

Already, with major recommendations from Adidas, Yonex and the watchmaker Citizen, as well as several Japanese brands, it is already perceived as a global commercial player. With the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, one has the impression that it would only be more desirable for companies as one of the best athletes of the host country.

That call could only get longer if she could claim the trophy on Saturday – in her first Grand Slam final against her idol. So how did the game go in his dream?

"You already know," she said with a smile. "You just ask me, I do not dream of losing."