Osaka won her semifinal match against American Jennifer Brady 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, and she wore a mask in honor of Philando Castile, a 32-year-old Minnesota man who was fatally shot by police officer Jeronimo Yanez during a traffic stop in 2016. Castile's girlfriend live streamed the aftermath on Facebook and said in the video that the officer had asked Castile for his license and registration. Castile, according to his girlfriend, told Yanez he needed to get his wallet and also told the officer he had a pistol on him because he was licensed to carry.
Yanez shot and ultimately killed Castile after he had told Castile not to move and claimed Castile had reached for his gun. Castile's girlfriend said he had been reaching for his ID and registration. Yanez later revealed that he'd pulled Castile over because of a broken taillight, but that he also thought Castile matched the description of a robbery suspect. Yanez was charged with second-degree manslaughter, then acquitted and fired from the police force in 2017.
At the end of her semifinal match, Naomi said the most gratifying part about using her platform to raise awareness of social and racial injustice has been "knowing that I'm reaching people . . . just knowing that people are hearing my voice."
