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MELBOURNE: Japan’s Naomi Osaka beat Jennifer Brady in straight sets in the Australian Open final to win her fourth major title on Saturday (February 20).
Osaka overcame a tight first set and broke the American twice in the second to win 6-4, 6-3 in 77 minutes in front of thousands of fans at Rod Laver Arena.
The third-seeded Osaka retains her 100% record in the Grand Slam finals after winning the 2018 and 2020 US Open and the 2019 title in Melbourne.
“We played in the semifinals of the US Open a couple of months ago and I told everyone they were going to be a problem,” Osaka told Brady at the trophy presentation.
“And he was right. It’s really amazing for me to see your growth in the last few months, it’s really great for me to see it.”
Japan’s Naomi Osaka is congratulated by American Jennifer Brady during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, on February 20, 2021 (Photo: AP / Hamish Blair).
The 23-year-old, who becomes the third player after Monica Seles and Roger Federer to win his first four major finals, will now climb to second in the world rankings.
Osaka, ranked as the world’s highest-earning female athlete, saved two match points in the fourth round against Garbine Muguruza before lifting the trophy.
Osaka exhausted teammate Brady with consistency, and raised his racket over his face in silent celebration of his victory as the crowd roared.
The huge victory confirms Osaka’s status as the leader in tennis after having sidelined Williams in straight sets in the semi-finals.
He has won half of the majors he has played since beating Williams to win his first Slam title.
EPIC SEMIFINAL
Osaka has now won consecutive Slams twice and survived a seesaw start to take control, reeling in six straight games on her way to the title.
It was a rematch of last year’s epic US Open semifinal, rated by some as the best match of 2020, but Osaka triumphed much more comfortably this time around.
She showed no nerves at first, shooting two aces on the way to a love lock in the opening game.
Before the game, Osaka had pointed to her return as the key, but was helped by a shaky Brady who lost his serve in the fourth game after two double faults.
But Brady, the 22nd seed, hit back with a break and continued to build pressure on Osaka’s serve.
A brilliant balloon winner, displaying her trademark athleticism, gave Brady a break point in the ninth game, but Osaka held on.
Brady then played a sloppy game on serve to hand the set over to Osaka, who was 20-0 at Melbourne Park when he won the first set.
Osaka gained absolute dominance with a break early in the second set and fired an ace to jump to a 3-0 lead, followed by a roar of “Let’s go!”
Brady tried a late rally, but a quiet Osaka couldn’t be denied.
Brady’s tough career ended after serving 14 days of hard quarantine before the tournament, unlike other players who were allowed out of their hotel rooms to train.
Despite the loss, Brady will rise to 13th place in the WTA rankings, the best mark of her career.
