U.S. Open: Naomi Osaka continues to win and deliver her message

Naomi Osaka has a point to make at the U.S. Open.

Sunday, Naomi Osaka continued her campaign to bring attention to racial injustice by walking onto the court wearing a mask with Trayvon Martin's name stenciled on it. Then she played some tennis at the U.S. Open.

"I remember Trayvon’s death clearly," Osaka tweeted. "I remember being a kid and just feeling scared.I know his death wasn’t the first but for me it was the one that opened my eyes to what was going on. To see the same things happening over and over still is sad. Things have to change."

On February 26, 2012, Martin, an African American teen walking home from a trip to a convenience store, was shot dead by George Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer taken to patrolling the neighborhood of the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida.

After calling police and ignoring orders not to engage Martin, Zimmerman later claimed to have shot the unarmed 17-year-old out of self-defense during a physical altercation.

When police initially opted not to arrest Zimmerman, the case sparked nationwide protests and ignited national debates about racial profiling and self-defense laws. Zimmerman later was charged with second-degree murder; following a high-profile trial that riveted America, he was acquitted of the charges against him.

Osaka won her match against 14th seed Anett Kontaveit in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Playing for Japan, Osaka moves on to the quarterfinals to meet the United States' Shelby Rogers on Tuesday (Sept. 8).

She won the U.S. Open in 2018 by beating the ten-champion Serena Williams. For a few months, she was ranked No. 1 in the world and has become the highest paid women's tennis player.

Osaka, who is of Haitian and Japanese descent, had to become a Japanese citizen and chose to represent Japan in international play even though she grew up in the U.S. and continues to live and train in Florida.

The 22-year old Osaka, who plays for Japan, is waging a one-woman campaign to bring attention to racial injustice. She had masks made with the names of African Americans who were killed recently. Besides Trayvon Martin, the three earlier masks that he wore bore the names of Breonna Taylor, Elijah Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. She made seven masks; enough to reach the finals if she wins the next two matches.