MELBOURNE (Australia): Third seed Naomi Osaka preserved her 100 percent record in Grand Slam finals by beating Jennifer Brady of the USA in the Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday.
Osaka edged a tight first set but controlled the second to win 6-4, 6-3 in 77 minutes in front of 7,381 fans at Rod Laver Arena.
The reigning US Open champion, who beat her idol Serena Williams in the semifinals, has now won two of the last three Grand Slams as her status and reputation soars.
But she praised her opponents after the match.
“We played in the semis of the US Open a couple of months ago and I told everyone that you’re going to be a problem,” Osaka told Brady at the trophy presentation. “And I was right. It’s really incredible to me to see your growth over the past few months, it’s really cool for me to see.”
Osaka became only the third player after Monica Seles and Roger Federer to win their first four major finals, and will now rise to second in the world rankings.
After sealing back-to-back Slam titles twice, Osaka has won half the majors she’s contested since beating Williams to win her first in 2018.
“Thank you for coming and watching, it feels really incredible for me,” she told the crowd. “I didn’t play my last Grand Slam with fans so just to have this energy really means a lot.”
