Naomi Osaka (opens in new tab) played a key role in the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Friday night. The 23-year-old tennis star had the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron and officially kicking off the summer Games.

Born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian-American father, Osaka immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 3. The four-time Grand Slam champion made her debut in her native country this year, competing in her first Olympics (opening with a new tab).

Her appearance at the end of the opening ceremony was a surprise, but according to CNN (opens in new tab), earlier Friday, when Olympic organizers asked that her opening match be postponed from Saturday to Sunday, a big hint that Osaka might participate in the pot lighting ceremony Some people caught on.

On Friday, Osaka took to Instagram to talk about what the honor would mean to her." Without a doubt, the greatest sporting achievement and honor of my life," she captioned a series of photos commemorating the moment." There are no words to describe how I feel right now, but I do know that I am so thankful and grateful right now. Thank you ❤️ everyone."

In a follow-up post with a video of her lighting the cauldron, Osaka wrote, "Still trying to wrap my head around what just happened, crazy."