The 20-year-old rising star Naomi Osaka from Japan will play the first Grand Slam final of her career later today following her win over year's runner-up, Madison Keys, in straight sets in the semi-final.  She will take on her idol, Serena Williams, who is into her ninth final, just at the US Open, and second in a row at a major.

"Well, I mean of course it feels a little bit like surreal," said Osaka, "I always like even when I was a little kid I always dreamed I would play Serena (Williams) in the final of a Grand Slam, so just the fact that it's happening I'm very happy about it but at the same time even though I feel like I should enjoy this moment I should still think of it as another match and not really think of her as my idol and just play her like an opponent."

Osaka has dual Japanese and American citizenship and can speak Japanese partially. She has played some of the best tennis of her career over the past two weeks - dropping just one set en route to the final. She saved all 13 break points against Keys, who had won all three of their previous meetings. 

Osaka and Serena have met once before, and the Japanese youngster beat her handily 6-3, 6-2 at the Miami Open in March, but that was shortly after Williams returned from maternity leave.

While Serena will play in her 31st Grand Slam final and second in a row after losing at Wimbledon. A few weeks short of her 37th birthday, she is the third-oldest major finalist in the 50 years of the Open Era. Winning victory tonight would make Serena the oldest Grand Slam singles champion, and would tie Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.