Japan’s Naomi Osaka has defeated Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open 2021 final.
Saturday’s victory gave Osaka her second Australian open title and her four grand slam title.
The victory also cemented the 23-year-old’s standing as the new queen of the women’s game as she cruised to a 6-4 6-3 win at a floodlit Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia.
Osaka’s victory over the 22nd-seeded American at a floodlit Rod Laver Arena gave the Japanese her fourth major crown.
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Third seed Osaka played some way short of her best tennis but it was more than enough as she clinched six straight games to take the first set and stormed to a 4-0 lead in the second.
The 22nd-seeded Brady belatedly conjured some resistance to break Osaka against the flow of play and claw back to 5-3.
But the American bowed out as she started, with errors flying off her racket.
Osaka served out the match to love, with a big serve sealing it when Brady thumped a forehand return long.
Speaking after her victory, Osaka thanked her team and her fans who came to watch her play.
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“I really want to thank my team – this one is for you,” she said. “Lastly but not least, thank you to you guys. Thank you for coming and watching. To have this energy really means a lot. Thank you so much.
“Thank you for opening your hearts and arms towards us. I feel like playing a Grand Slam right now is a privilege, and thank you for this opportunity.”
Only 15 women in the open era have achieved four grand slam titles, with Serena Williams (23), Venus Williams (seven) and Kim Clijsters (four), the three active players on that list.
With her second victory in Melbourne, Osaka, at just 23-years-old, becomes the first player since Monica Seles in the early 1990s to win her first four grand slam finals.
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