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Naomi Osaka crushed Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 to secure her second Australian Open title on Feb. 20 and cement her standing as the new queen of the women’s game.
Osaka’s one-sided win over the 22nd-seeded American in the final at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne gave the Japanese juggernaut her fourth major crown, with her career still budding at the age of 23.
She joined Monica Seles and Roger Federer in an elite club — players who have won their first four Grand Slam finals.
“My reaction is that that’s very amazing company,” Osaka told reporters, sitting next to the winner’s Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
“I hope that I can have one grain of how their career has unfolded. But you can only wish and you can only just keep going down your own path. … But it’s definitely something crazy to hear.”
More major trophies surely await if she can convert her irresistible hard court form to French Open clay and grass at Wimbledon.
Having humbled Serena Williams in the semifinal, a victory that reinforced a changing of the guard, Osaka was untroubled by the 25-year-old Brady in the clash of power hitters.
“Tonight I felt like (it) was more of a mental battle,” said Osaka, who first won at Rod Laver Arena in 2019. (Reuters)
This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.