The Japanese youngster grew up idolising Williams and booked a Grand Slam final showdown with the American legend with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Madison Keys in the semi-finals.
That made her the first ever Japanese player to reach the final of a major tournament and sets up a tricky clash with 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Osaka has grown into one of the WTA tour’s most exciting talents with the 20-year-old having won her first title at the Indian Wells Open back in March.
And after reaching her first Grand Slam final with a fine performance, Osaka admitted that she must not allow her inner self to become too excited at the thought of facing her heroine at Flushing Meadows.
“Of course it feels a little bit, like, surreal. Even when I was a little kid, I always dreamed that I would play Serena in a final of a Grand Slam,” Osaka told reporters.
“Just the fact that it’s happening, I’m very happy about it.
“At the same time I feel like even though I should enjoy this moment, I should still think of it as another match. Yeah, I shouldn’t really think of her as, like, my idol. I should just try to play her as an opponent.”
World No 19 Osaka has already faced Williams once and boasts a winning record against the 36-year-old after downing her in the Miami Open in straight sets.
That was just the second tournament back for six-time US Open champion Williams after 13 months off after having a baby.
She has since rediscovered her best form having dropped just one set in her five matches so far in New York after also reaching the Wimbledon final two months ago.
Osaka added: “I mean for starters, when you just come back and then you make the finals of two slams, I think that’s really amazing. I’m sure that everyone knows that Serena’s really good, of course.
“But I don’t know. I really feel like I don’t want to overthink this match, so I’m not going to think that she’s so much better than she was in Miami.
“I’m just going to go out there and play. Since I already know she’s a good player, I don’t want to be surprised if she plays better or not.
“It’s really cool that I was able to play her so early. Of course, I feel like since the circumstances were so different, I’ll be able to see how she changed and stuff. I think that experience was really good for me.
“She’s been in so many Grand Slam finals, she knows how it feels. I’m still really new, I think. For me, that’s the fun part. “I think I’m going to really embrace the moment and I’m going to play at least to the best of my abilities.”
American Keys said post-match that Osaka is well capable of giving Williams a real challenge if she plays as she did in her semi-final win.
In response, Osaka added: “I’m really happy that she said that. I feel like every day that I play, I always want to keep improving, so I’m never really sure what my top level is.
“But I think for sure today I played really well, and I had to because she’s such a great player. She has a really good record against me.”
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