Naomi Osaka has emerged, once more an Australian Open Female champion. She defeated Jennifer Brady in a grand slam tennis championship as she crushed her 6-4 6-3 to claim her second Australian Open title on Saturday and cement her standing as the new queen of the women’s game.
Osaka’s victory over the 22nd seeded American at a floodlit Rod Laver Arena gave the Japanese her fourth major crown.
Fans hoping for a repeat of the pair’s engrossing U.S. Open semifinal last year were left disappointed as Brady froze in the spotlight of her first grand slam final.
Third seeded 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.
Brady belatedly conjured some resistance to break Osaka against the flow of play and managed to claw back 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.
