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Thousands of Walt Disney World workers may be getting a raise. Union members are voting on a new contract that would increase the starting minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next three years and allowing Disney to hire more part-time workers. (Sept. 6)
AP

Hiring rebounded in August as employers added 201,000 jobs and the labor market continued to defy worker shortages and U.S. trade battles. Yearly wage growth hit a nine-year high.

The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.9 percent, the Labor Department said Friday.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected 195,000 payroll gains.

On the downside, employment increases for June and July were revised down by a total 50,000. June’s gain was lowered from 248,000 to 208,000 and July’s from 157,000 to 147,000. Still, monthly gains for the year are averaging a robust 207,000.

“The U.S. economy is barreling full steam ahead,”  economist Leslie Preston of TD economics wrote in a note to clients.

Hiring can be volatile in August as teachers and other employees return to work after summer lulls. That makes it more challenging for Labor to adjust the employment totals to account for seasonal variations. In recent years, Labor has revised up its initial estimates for August, often significantly. Goldman Sachs reckons the measurement glitch reduced last month’s job count by at least 40,000.

Other economists, though, have expected payroll growth to slow as employers increasingly struggle to find available workers now that the jobless rate has dipped below 4%. So far this year, the labor market has shrugged off the worker shortages, turning out an average of more than 200,000 job gains a month, up from 182,000 in 2017. That may be due to a pool of discouraged and other workers who had been on the sidelines, but some experts believe that supply will soon run thin.

Trade tensions also could have dented business confidence and dampened hiring last month, Goldman Sachs says. In early July, the Trump administration slapped tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese imports and announced a proposed list of tariffs on another $200 billion in Chinese goods.

Wage growth pace reaches 9-year high

Average hourly earnings rose 10 cents to $27.16. And so wages were up 2.9 percent from a year earlier, up from 2.7% in July and the biggest annual jump since June 2009. The large increase could indicate that wage growth is finally picking up more rapidly amid an intense competition for workers.

Faster wage gains could prompt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates more sharply to head off higher inflation, a development that could cool stocks by making less risky bonds relatively more attractive. Later this month, the Fed is expected to lift its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point for the third time this year.

“The continued strength of the labor market keeps the Fed firmly on track to raise interest rates twice more this year,” says economist Andrew Hunter of Capital Economics.

Industries that are hiring

U.S. businesses added 204,000 jobs while federal, state and local governments lost 3,000.

Professional and business services led the gains with 53,000. Healthcare added 41,000; transportation and warehousing, 20,000; and leisure and hospitality, 17,000. Manufacturers lost 3,000 jobs after a string of healthy gains in a sign the trade skirmishes may have curbed hiring. But construction added 23,000 jobs despite dire worker shortages as builders continue to respond to low housing supplies.

Broader unemployment measure dips

A wider measure of unemployment — that includes discouraged workers who have given up their job searches and part-time employees who prefer full-time positions — dropped from 7.5% to 7.4%, lowest since April 2001. The ranks of those part-time workers declined by 188,000 to 4.4 million.

The improvement likely shows the strong labor market is helping underemployed as well as jobless Americans.

African-American unemployment tumbles

The unemployment rate for African Americans fell sharply from 6.6 percent to 6.3 percent, the second lowest on record behind May’s 5.9 percent. The tight labor market is providing more opportunities to blacks and other disadvantaged groups that traditionally have had a tougher time landing jobs.

What it means

The report eases concerns that job growth is slowing significantly as a result of worker shortages and mounting trade worries. One wrinkle is that payroll gains for June and July were revised down by 50,000, taking some of the sheen off the August increase. But monthly additions are still averaging a muscular 207,000 this year.

Even more important, annual wage growth accelerated from 2.7% to 2.9%, the fastest pace since 2009. While that might be a blip, it could, if sustained, prompt the Fed to bump up interest rates more rapidly to head off a spike in inflation.

The labor market’s surprising strength nine years into the economic expansion can at least partly be traced to the Trump administration-led tax cuts and spending increases. Some economists fear the stimulus will push up long-term interest rates and crimp economic growth by 2020.

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Hiring for the sweltering months is red hot! Here are the top five hottest jobs employers are looking for this summer. Nathan Rousseau Smith has the scoop.
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England impressed at the World Cup in reaching the semi-finals but despite the positives there is still a problem in midfield, where we haven’t produced a game-changer since Paul Gascoigne in 1996.

You need players who can make a difference by themselves – a maverick, if you like. They might have defensive faults and they might take risks which people don’t like, but I just think these off-the-cuff players are what we need.

People say Raheem Sterling is a number 10, traditionally the gifted creative player’s role – but I don’t think he is.

He scored 22 goals last season, but – no disrespect – I would’ve scored 22 goals in that Manchester City team. Sterling is a wide player who will upset full-backs and chip in, but he is not a natural goalscorer and he is not a game-changer.

Dele Alli plays behind Harry Kane at Tottenham. He has good movement off the ball and a decent technique, and maybe that is the way forward, but I wouldn’t say he is a game-changer.

Is Jesse Lingard? I wouldn’t say so.

When I was playing with England we always had a wide selection of players that could influence a game.

They can frustrate and they don’t always listen to the manager – but you need that type of player to take the next step. We just don’t produce them any more.

What is going wrong?

We have got the best facilities and the most money in the football world but, unfortunately, we have got too many coaches who don’t want to put up with a particular type of talented player – and they want everybody to be reliable.

Coaches don’t like players taking risks because they lose the ball in certain areas. They would rather have a player who can’t dribble but can pass and play a one-two before putting it in the box.

What annoys me most about English football is that we have to pay to import what we used to produce. At my age, we didn’t go to clubs until we were 13 or 14 – so they didn’t have time to coach it out of you.

Now you bring them in at five and six and they lose all of their tricks by 10. It’s not everyone – it’s probably about 90% – but it’s all about reliability.

On the continent they look at players and see what you have got. If you are tricky and clever with the ball, they won’t take it away – but in England they do.

When I was a player we had wingers, but that has gone out of the game because the system has meant central midfielders playing on the left or the right and plodding up and down the flanks without much creativity. They are honest, they work hard and they are good box-to-box players who fill in defensively.

I watch games on the TV now and I see players go one-on-one with the full-back – but what do they do? They usually check out and go back to their own full-back, then they go inside and play a pass across the field because losing the ball is a crime and they are scared to take the player on.

It’s a fear factor and I think coaches are on players’ backs if they lose the ball too easily.

You have to be brave as a coach. If you see a player from a young age who can dribble, who is greedy and selfish, that will change as he gets older but do not take the ability of beating a man away from him.

These coaches look at the top coaches in the world and try to follow their system. Yes, you can win matches with safe players – but to win a tournament you need risk players. We should have a production line of them and we should have too many to pick from.

Gazza was an outstanding player that we produced because we let him play. He was very selfish in his way, and he played a certain style.

Today, if a modern player doesn’t see bibs, cones and organisation, they can’t think for themselves. Whoever is in charge of coaching styles and producing players has to ask why the page about taking risks was ripped out of the manual?

I remember talking to the former Marseille and Serbia midfielder Dragan Stojkovic. He was a wonderful talent and he told me they never ran in Belgrade and everything they did was with the ball. He never got told to play two-touch football – and with people like that, you just give them the shirt and tell them to go and play.

Who can fill the void?

We have a lot of good players with good legs who can pass the ball but we need a bit more to go to another level.

England manager Gareth Southgate picked Liverpool’s Adam Lallana in the squad for the Nations League game against Spain, but he has had to drop out with an injury. He is technically good, but he has to be off the leash more. He has got two good feet and he should create and score more goals.

In terms of those outside of the squad, people talk about West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere – but he is not a creative player. He is tidy on the ball but he is not a player who picks it up and you say ‘wow, he is going to take two players on and thread it through’.

Leicester’s new signing James Maddison looked good at Manchester United in the Foxes’ first game and then scored the week after. He looks like he has an edge and a swagger about him. I don’t think he is worried about making mistakes and I’m disappointed he is not in the squad for these games against Spain and Switzerland.

Nathan Redmond at Southampton can take people on and Bournemouth’s Junior Stanislas could play international football. He could play in that midfield three because he can create, shoot, dribble and pass.

Will success at junior level change things?

We saw England Under-20s win the World Cup in June 2017 before the under-17s followed suit four months later, but our youth teams have enjoyed success before and not many of the players have got through to the senior side.

From under-16 to under-21 level, there is a physical difference between players and we have always been strong and athletic.

If you look at the size of our age-group sides, it is very rare to see the opposition as big and strong as us.

If you speak to our opponents about England, they will talk about strength and legs – but at senior level, a lot of those players drop off the radar because they aren’t stronger and quicker than everyone else any more. Everyone else has developed.

Two young players who have impressed at junior level are Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund.

It is early doors for Foden but he has got a good club coach in Pep Guardiola to bring it out of him and he will be allowed to think for himself in the final 30-40 yards. He will have bad days when his opposite number gets on top, but it happens. I’m hoping he will be a game-changer.

Sancho has got a trick but can he put it together and can Southgate be patient with him? It is a big two years for those type of players.

*Chris Waddle was speaking to BBC Sport’s Mantej Mann.

Turkey’s president has said that his country does not want a bloodbath in Idlib province and a ceasefire would be an important step amid looming Russian-backed Syrian offensive in the last rebel-held area.

Speaking at a three-way summit in Tehran with his Iranian and Russian counterparts – both major allies of the Syrian government – Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that an attack on Idlib would result in a massacre and a disaster.

“If we can ensure a ceasefire here, this will be one of the most important steps of the summit, it will seriously put civilians at ease,” he said.

“We need to find a rational solution in Idlib that will address everyone’s concerns.”

The northwest province of Idlib borders Turkey, which has closed its borders after taking in more than three million Syrian refugees. Ankara, which has the most to lose should an offensive take place, has been trying to negotiate with opposition armed groups, including al-Qaeda-linked Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham.

“A decision on Idlib will shape the region and you must appreciate our position as we begin to help our Syrian brothers,” Erdogan said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin however, said that he was against a ceasefire because Nusra Front and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters located there were not part of peace talks.

Putin said the Syrian government should regain control over all of its territory.

Speaking from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi said that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin were “speaking from both sides of their mouths” during their opening statements.

“The comments made by Putin and Rouhani made it very clear that they were looking forward to shape Syria’s future and they can do it without the intervention of western powers,” Basravi said.

“But at the same time they made it clear that rebuilding Syria and getting refugees back to Syria has to be an international effort.”

‘Fighting for peace’

President Rouhani made it clear that the integrity of Syria, as represented by the “legitimate” government of President Bashar al-Assad, should be respected, and that Idlib was a “hotbed for terrorism”.

“To fight terrorism in Idlib is inevitable and part of a mission to bring about peace and stability to Syria,” he said.

“We are fighting for peace. Our final goal whether in Syria or in the region is peace but in order to have sustainable peace we have to fight terror decisively.”

Rouhani also said that the intervention of the United States should end, and that any interference without the cooperation with Assad government will “cause this crisis to become deeper”.

His statement was in response to Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, who had warned on Thursday that Assad and his allies from using chemical weapons.

“In the past 18 months I have stood on this floor twice, promising that the United States would respond to the use of chemical weapons in Syria,” she said. “Both times, this administration has followed through.”

“We want to take this opportunity to remind Assad and his Russian and Iranian partners: You don’t want to bet against the United States’ responding again.”

Cindy McCain
Published 6:00 a.m. ET Sept. 7, 2018

The McCain Institute for International Leadership is now my home, and my mission. Join me in the arena.

Last week, our country came together to honor a great man, and a great calling. The man was my husband, Sen. John McCain. The calling is serving a cause greater than ourselves.

This was the essence of John McCain’s message to our nation: that we must join together, shaped by our deepest values of liberty, equal justice and respect for the dignity of all people, hardened by unwavering courage and integrity, and step into the arena to fight for a greater cause.

John did this every day. Whether it was to demand the best possible leadership and support for our armed forces, or to empower freedom fighters against dictators around the world, or to demand that perpetrators of torture and human rights abuses be punished, or to make sure our native American communities are treated with dignity and respect. John McCain fought for others every day of his life, whether he was wearing a uniform or standing on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

With his passing, America inherently understood that this is the kind of leadership we want. That this is the kind of country we want to be. And that it is now up to us — all of us — to get into the arena and fight. Each of us must do something to fight for a greater cause. We can lead, we can support, we can contribute, we can donate — but we must do something.

John’s memory inspires me to be in the arena every day. Thank you for all the kind messages about my husband. I am grateful. Since his passing, thousands of people have asked how they can do something to honor Sen. McCain. I’ll tell you how: Join me in the arena. Fight for a greater cause.

The McCain Institute for International Leadership is now my home, and my mission. Through the McCain Institute, we will fight for all those values that animated my husband throughout his life. With your support we will pay his legacy forward.

I urge you to support the McCain Institute, and join me in the arena.

Cindy Hensley McCain is a trustee of the McCain Institute.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

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Once friends, now foes, as Steve Ritchie and John Schnatter battle for control over Papa John’s
Louisville Courier Journal

Ousted Papa John’s chairman John Schnatter is still on the rampage. 

In his second lawsuit against the company he founded in 1984, he alleges that CEO Steve Ritchie has “admitted privately that he launched a false and defamatory campaign” accusing Schnatter of racism “for the sad and simple reason that Mr. Ritchie learned that he was going to lose his job.” 

In the complaint, unsealed Thursday in Delaware, Schnatter charges that Ritchie, whom he handpicked as his successor, “placed his own self-interest and desire to salvage his own employment over the best interests of the company all in an effort to save his own job.” 

The suit does not elaborate on Schnatter’s allegation that Ritchie fabricated a claim that he was racist.

The suit includes an exhibit identified as a letter to Human Resources at Papa John’s in which Schnatter purportedly details his allegations against Ritchie and others. But Schnatter’s public relations firm, which provided a copy of the suit, declined to provide the exhibit.

The suit asks the Chancery Court of Delaware, where Papa John’s is incorporated, to enjoin Ritchie from making any statements about Schnatter and to bar a special committee of the company’s board of directors from investigating the company’s management culture.

More coverage

► Schnatter sues Papa John’s to ‘stop irreparable harm’ to the company
► Papa John’s board says Schnatter ‘hurting the company, not helping it’
► John Schnatter sends his love to workers. Papa John’s returns to sender
► ‘Papa John’ Schnatter: Black people know ‘I’m not a racist’

Schnatter also asks the court to invalidate a board-adopted “poison pill” designed to keep him from acquiring a majority interest in the company. Finally, he asks the court to block the board from terminating the contract that made him the company’s spokesman, although the board already has taken that step. 

The company has already rejected Schnatter’s claim that the board decided in June to fire Ritchie and bring back Schnatter as executive chairman. 

“John Schnatter will do anything to distract attention from the harm caused by his inappropriate words,” the company said in a statement. “He continues to make reckless allegations in his attempt to regain control and serve his own interests. John Schnatter’s latest allegations are entirely without merit, and we will vigorously defend against these baseless claims.”   

Schnatter was forced to resign as board chairman in July after the disclosure that he had used the N-word in a media training session in May. 

Schnatter filed another suit against the company on July 26 seeking documents that mention him and that he believes will show the “malicious and pre-planned manner in which certain insiders have acted” since the publication of a Forbes article that accused him of using the racial slur. 

More coverage

► ‘Papa John’ Schnatter has sent a love letter to his former employees
► Can Papa John’s end this pizza war without everyone getting burned?
► ‘Papa’ John Schnatter says he was justified in actions against CEOs
► John Schnatter targeted his company’s CEOs in the past. And wrote about it

A trial is set for Oct. 1, but in his new complaint Schnatter says the “ability of the company to repair itself and properly function may not last until October 1.” 

The suit unsealed this week accuses Papa John’s directors of breaching their duty of loyalty to the company and causing it irreparable harm. 

Schnatter claims the livelihood of its 120,000 employees worldwide is at stake. Papa John’s, the world’s third largest pizza company, has about 5,000 stores – most of them franchises – and employs about 1,200 people in Louisville. 

Schnatter says in the suit that its finances are in freefall.  

Papa John’s stock closed at $48.16 Thursday, down from a high of about $80 a year ago. 

Andrew Wolfson: 502-582-7189; awolfson@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @adwolfson.  Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: https://ift.tt/2A0Q9oC

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Taj Gibson played in all 82 games last season with the Timberwolves — thanks, in part, to a rigorous training regimen.
USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kevin Garnett is suing an accountant and his firm, alleging they helped a wealth manager steal $77 million from the retired Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics star.

The federal malpractice lawsuit alleges Kentucky-based accountant Michael Wertheim and Welenken CPAs enabled Charles Banks IV of Atlanta to defraud Garnett through businesses in which Garnett and Banks shared an interest.

The lawsuit contends Wertheim “possessed actual knowledge that Banks was helping himself to millions of dollars of Garnett’s money and did nothing about it.”

Defense attorney Greg Simpson tells the Star Tribune his clients deny the allegations and will “vigorously” fight the suit.

Banks was not named as a defendant. Banks was sentenced last year to four years in federal prison for defrauding another former NBA star, retired San Antonio Spurs player Tim Duncan, of millions of dollars.

You have a 401(k) through your employer and you dutifully contribute a percentage of each paycheck to it, confident that you’re ahead of the game. After all, many people don’t have a retirement account at all. While this is true, if you crunch the numbers, you may be surprised to find that you’re not as far ahead as you thought.

A 401(k) can be a great way to save for the future, especially if your employer matches your contributions. But they do have their limitations. Here are a few things you need to know about using your 401(k) to save for retirement, along with some advice on how to boost your retirement savings even further.

Image source: Getty Images.

Not all of the money in your 401(k) is yours

Traditional 401(k)s are tax-deferred, which means that you don’t pay any taxes on the money until you withdraw it from the account. The tax brackets change slightly every year, but most people can probably expect to give away at least 10% to 25% of that money to Uncle Sam.

You also need to keep in mind that inflation will likely erode the value of the dollar even further over the next few decades, so you probably won’t be able to live as comfortably on $40,000 in 30 years as you do today. While it’s impossible to predict the exact rate of inflation, many experts recommend assuming a 3% annual inflation rate when calculating how much you need to save for retirement. So for example, if your living expenses amount to $40,000 this year, they may be $41,200 next year and $42,400 the year after that.

Your 401(k) also has a number of administrative fees that can eat into your profits. If you like the portfolio that you have and you’re earning a good return, these fees may not affect you significantly. But if you haven’t profited that much from your current 401(k), paying these extra fees may not be worth it. You can learn more about what fees you’re paying by checking out your 401(k)’s prospectus or talking to your employer about the plan.

You probably aren’t contributing enough

About one-third of Americans with a 401(k) are contributing 4% or less of their paychecks each month, according to a Vanguard survey. While it’s true that compound interest is on your side, especially if you start investing early, this may not be enough for you to live on in retirement.

The median salary for workers in the U.S. is $44,564 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Let’s assume you contribute 4% of that to your 401(k) every pay period for 30 years. Assuming your salary keeps pace with our 3% inflation estimate, your 401(k) will be worth just $299,140 by the time you’re ready to retire. When you add in taxes and inflation, this amount probably won’t even last you a decade.

Unfortunately, there is no magic number as to how much you should be contributing to your 401(k) each month. If you want to live comfortably in retirement, the first step is to calculate your approximate monthly expenses in retirement (remembering inflation and taxes) and your approximate life expectancy. The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 79 years, but you may live longer or shorter than this, depending on how healthy you are.

Then, subtract any money you’ll have coming in from Social Security, annuities or a pension and figure out the difference. Then, use a compound interest calculator to determine how much your 401(k) will be worth when you retire, assuming you keep your contributions the same. From there, you can play around with it to see how much upping your contribution would net you.

How to boost your retirement savings

As a general rule, you should contribute as much to your retirement savings as you possibly can. If your employer offers a 401(k) match up to a certain percentage, you should aim to contribute at least that much so you can take advantage of the free money. But if you have extra cash, don’t stop there. You’re allowed to contribute up to $18,500 to your 401(k) in 2018 and up to $24,500 if you’re 50 or older.

Another alternative is to open up an IRA and begin contributing some money to this as well. IRA contribution limits are lower — just $5,500 in 2018 and $6,500 for those 50 and older. But on the plus side, there are fewer fees associated with IRAs and you have a lot more investment choices, so you may be able to grow your money more quickly than you could in a 401(k). Plus, if you open a Roth IRA, that money is taxed when you earn it, so when you take it out, you don’t have to pay any taxes on it.

If you’ve contributed all that you can to your retirement accounts or if you don’t want all of your money locked up where you can’t spend it, you can choose to invest in a non-retirement investment account. You’ll be taxed on the money you put in and on any money you earn by investing, but you’ll have complete freedom to use it when and how you choose.

Contributing regularly to your 401(k) can help you build up a secure nest egg for the future, but it’s important to make sure that you’re investing your money intelligently and that you’re realistic about how much you’re going to need to live on. By bumping up your 401(k) contribution and possibly opening an IRA, you can give yourself a much better chance at a comfortable retirement.

Naomi Osaka says she “always dreamed” she would play her idol Serena Williams in a Grand Slam final after both reached this year’s US Open decider.

The 20-year-old became Japan’s first female Grand Slam finalist by defeating last year’s runner up Madison Keys 6-2 6-4 at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Six-time winner Williams is looking to match the record 24 Grand Slam titles won by Australian Margaret Court.

“I shouldn’t think of her as my idol, just as an opponent,” said Osaka.

“When I was a little kid I always dreamed I would play Serena in a Grand Slam final. At the same time I feel like even though I should enjoy this moment, I should still think of it as another match.”

‘I love you Serena’

Osaka, who was aged just one when Williams won her first Grand Slam in 1999, is well-known for her entertaining interviews on the tour and in the past has discussed Netflix, memes and computer game Overwatch in news conferences.

After winning her first Masters title at Indian Wells earlier this year, she made what she described as “the worst acceptance speech of all time” – nervously saying her ‘thank yous’ before awkwardly lifting the trophy and posing for photographs.

Two years ago, she was asked a question about her career ambitions and responded by saying: “To be the very best, like no-one ever was.”

Realising she had caused confusion, she added: “That’s a Pokemon quote, I’m sorry. That’s the Pokemon theme song. But, yeah, to be the very best, and go as far as I can go.”

And after winning her semi-final win Osaka brought laughter from the crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium with her answers in her post-match interview…

Interviewer: Thirteen break points faced, 13 break points saved, how did you do that?

Osaka: This is going to sound really bad but I was just thinking I really want to play Serena.

Interviewer: Why?

Osaka: Because she is Serena. Like what do you mean?

Interviewer: What was going through your mind as you went to serve it out?

Osaka: Don’t double fault.

Interviewer: Perhaps a message for Serena?

Osaka: I love you.

How Osaka marched to the final

Osaka, who began the season as world number 68, steamrolled her way into her first Grand Slam semi-final with a 6-1 6-1 demolition of Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko.

And she saw off two Belarusians in the third and fourth rounds – demolishing Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-0 6-0 before dropping her only set of the tournament in a 6-3 2-6 6-4 win over 26th seed Aryna Sabalenka.

The Japanese youngster broke into tears of joy following that win over Sabalenka but remained calm after her victory in the semi-final.

“I believe that Naomi is one of those individuals who really craves the big stage,” said her coach Sascha Bajin, who used to work with Williams.

“She always plays better on the big stages than she does on any of the other courts. If she’s sad, she’s going to show it. If she’s happy, she’s going to show it. There are no fake emotions.”

A breakthrough year

The 20-year-old was born in Osaka, Japan and moved to New York aged three before relocating to Florida. Her father is Haitian and her mother is Japanese.

The dual-citizen says going to Japan feels like a “super-awesome vacation” rather than home, but will have the hopes of a nation behind her when she faces Williams.

By reaching the semi-finals alongside compatriot Kei Nishikori, it marked the first time that a male and female Japanese player had reached the final four in the same Grand Slam.

And Osaka will break into the world’s top 10 with victory in Saturday’s final – capping off a terrific year that started so well with the victory at Indian Wells in March.

On her way to that title in California, Osaka beat four seeded players, including world number one Simona Halep and fifth seed Karolina Pliskova, as well as five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.

She also beat Williams in Miami in March – just two years after her first appearance at a Slam at the Australian Open.

She announced herself in New York last year when she caused an upset to knock out defending US Open champion and world number six Angelique Kerber in the first round.

Before reaching this year’s US Open final, Osaka’s best finish at a Grand Slam was in the fourth round of the Australian Open – she had never gone beyond the third round prior to that.

The view from Japan

Japanese tennis journalist Aki Uchida

She became famous in Japan especially after she won in Indian Wells – that was big news.

She is half Japanese and half Haitian-American so she doesn’t look typically Japanese but her name is very traditional Japanese. So that contrast between her looks and her name makes her even more charismatic to Japanese people. And the way she acts on court is very Japanese.

Japan is having a lot of typhoons and earthquakes so it’s not a time for the country to be very happy and excited about sport. But right after she won this match, I was getting text messages from friends back home saying ‘you’re in New York and Naomi just won!’ So based on that, I think people who are not always into tennis are interested in her.

Now she is famous in Japan. I think she is one of the most well-known female athletes now.