#NaomiOsaka has successfully became the first player since Jennifer Capriati to back up her maiden Major title with yet another Grand Slam trophy as the Japanese extended her winning streak at the Major tournaments to 14 consecutive matches, stunning eighth seed #PetraKvitova in three marathon sets (7-6, 5-7, 6-4) after two hours and 27-minutes of action to hoist the 2019 #AustralianOpen trophy.
This is Osaka’s second Grand Slam title in just barely four months, and will, therefore, ascend to the number one spot on the coming Monday despite being ranked 72nd at this point exactly one year ago. She is the first Asian in history to top the WTA singles ranking, and it is particularly impressive when more than 70 percent of her points just came at five different tournaments: Indian Wells, US Open, Tokyo, Beijing, Singapore, Australian Open. Having just around 1000 points to defend to the US Open Series, she should be able to capitalize on her lead in the rankings.
It is also rather notable that Osaka’s first three professional titles of her career are: Indian Wells, US Open, and the Australian Open. These tournaments are regarded as the top five prestigious events in the sport of tennis, and considering Osaka is just 21-years-old, and has amassed over 10 million dollars in earnings, she is set to be the next dominating player on the tour in the future.
There were no exchanges of breaks in the tight opening set, although Osaka dominated the tiebreak as she claimed the crucial first set in this highly-anticipated final. Kvitova had won 22 consecutive Major matches when she won the first set, while Osaka claimed 59 straight wins when she took the opening frame.
Kvitova fought back to break serve for the first time in the evening to grab the lead, but Osaka quickly pegged back and owned a commanding 5-3 lead, earning triple championship points as well. However, the Czech came out of nowhere to battle back and claim the second set 7-5, looking to have all the momentum with her.
Osaka looked down-and-out previously, but her impressive mentality and out-of-the-world ability to rebound back from her previous disappointment were outrageous as she claimed the sole break in the final set to grab her maiden Melbourne trophy. Thinking that she is just 21-years-old, her matured mentality is just simply outstanding.
Kvitova’s stellar run
On the other hand, it has been a stunning run from Kvitova herself. She needs to be so proud of herself after what she had achieved, considering what she had gone through and experienced in her life. Battling into the final without losing a set, the Czech could be said to be unstoppable as she also lifted the trophy at the Apia International Sydney the fortnight before.
Having six titles to her ranking currently, in addition to this run to the final in Melbourne, Kvitova now sits at the second place in the rankings with a narrow lead over former world number one Simona Halep although she has titles to defend in St. Petersburg and Doha in February. Although her schedule seems packed having signed up to compete in Russia immediately after this week, Kvitova has shown that fatigue is no longer an issue after she reached the final in Melbourne despite looking breathless in Sydney.
However, after her lack of success at the Major tournaments in 2018, Kvitova still has a high chance to return to the top spot during the year — particularly at Wimbledon where she is tipped to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish. It was a terrific fightback from Kvitova who managed to keep the scores this close despite playing nowhere near her best. Fighting off three championship points before breaking back to level the scores, Kvitova still had to stave off a break point in the 11th game before going on to claim the second set. Despite all her heroines, she fell in a tight deciding set but her perseverance and endurance gained applause from tennis fans all over the world.
Back in December 2016, little did we know if Kvitova could ever return onto a tennis court and hold onto a tennis racquet. The situation was ambiguous and the future was uncertain. But in January 2019, here she is giving an acceptance speech after the women’s singles final at the Australian Open. It has been a pretty incredible journey for the Czech, whose story has inspired many across the globe.
Osaka snatches the tight first set
Both players were serving pretty incredibly — with Osaka having the advantage in the rallies while Kvitova was putting in some smart serves which caught her opponent off-guard. However, it was Osaka who first got herself into trouble with some vulnerable second serves and Kvitova dutifully exploited them. She had to fend off multiple break points before the Japanese earned her first opportunity in the following game.
A terrific one-two punch saw Kvitova letting out a huge roar en route to holding her serve, ensuring that the scores were still going on serve. The biggest opportunity in the first set came in the seventh game, whereby Osaka quickly found herself down 0-40 after a slew of unforced errors. However, Kvitova just could not find her returns (even on second serves) during the crucial moments and wasted a total of five break points in the set.
Several nervy moments came in the 12th game of the set, with Kvitova serving to stay in the set but committed a couple of errors off her shaky forehand wing to gift Osaka two set points. The Czech did an excellent job to remain in contention, saving one with a stunning down-the-line winner and another with an Osaka mishit return.
The tiebreak was surprisingly one-sided, with Osaka firing winners left and right. Kvitova’s lax approach to the net in the sixth point basically summarized the entire tiebreak as the eighth seed lost her focus; and Osaka capitalized. Winning seven of the nine points played, the Japanese took the first set 7-6 and edged closer to the title.
Kvitova produces stunning fightback
Kvitova earned the encouraging service hold in the opening game of the second set, before finally grabbing the first break in the match with a powerful forehand return. However, an unbelievable lapse in focus saw Kvitova completely losing the plot as she wasted a game point to be broken straight back, allowing Osaka back in the set.
Osaka went on a roll — rattling off four consecutive games as an exhausted Kvitova looked out-of-sorts with nothing left in her tank after a tiring start to the season. The Czech finally stopped the rout with an outstanding backhand winner which landed on the line. Despite so, the momentum was still with Osaka and she placed herself just one game away from the win with a solid service hold.
Kvitova found herself trailing 0-40 while serving to stay in the match, gifting Osaka three championship points. In some extraordinary fashion, the Czech rattled off seven consecutive points and found herself back into contention — a double-fault saw Kvitova earning two break points to level the scores. Another loose forehand from the Japanese eventually allowed the scores to be tied at 5-5.
Another impressive game from Kvitova saw her fending off a break point in style before claiming her third successive game. She made it four in a row, with two net cords going against Osaka and she threw in an unfortunate double-fault which saw Kvitova coming out of nowhere to take the second set 7-5. Osaka then took a bathroom break to regain her composure but left the court in tears.
Osaka bounces back, grabs the win
Everything seemed to be going Kvitova’s way as she started the decider with a bang; winning five consecutive points. However, Osaka surprisingly bounced back and claimed the huge hold in her first service game, stopping the rout and gaining the momentum. Wasting a game point, Kvitova threw in a costly double-fault at deuce in the following game, and Osaka produced a terrific backhand winner to grab the break in the decider.
The players hung onto their serves in the following games, but Kvitova had the golden opportunity to return level in the sixth game. She produced some terrific returns and found herself earning a break point, although Osaka served some bombs to rescue herself from the tricky situation.
Three consecutive unforced errors then saw Kvitova down 0-40 while serving at 2-4, indicating that the match was all but over. However, just like in the second set, the Czech found life in her game, and with the adrenaline, she fired her way back to minimize the deficit. Osaka served for the title for the second time in the evening, and this time she learnt her lesson as she closed out the win in style.
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