By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, January 26, 2019

Firing one final twisting serve, Naomi Osaka dropped to a squat and shut her eyes to soak in the dream before rising on top of the world.

In a fierce Australian Open final of first-strike tennis, Osaka imposed the final word out-dueling Petra Kvitova, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-4, to claim her second straight Grand Slam title and become the first Asian singles player—male or female—to rise to the world No. 1 ranking.

More: Osaka vs. Kvitova By The Numbers

"I just focus on tennis," Osaka said. "Like, for me, when I play my match, everything else is completely not in my mind anymore. For me, Grand Slams is something you dream about playing as a kid. I don't ever want to waste this opportunity. So those are the biggest motivating factors for me."

It's a remarkable rise for Osaka, who was ranked No. 72 a year ago while working to channel her prodigious power with placement and refine rough edges of her game.

Twelve months later, Osaka is a polished and poised power player riding a 14-match major winning streak with Grand Slam final victories over Serena Williams and Kvitova in tonight's dramatic two hour, 27-minute final.

"I've always wanted to play you," Osaka said to Kvitova during the trophy presentation. "You've been through so much... You're really amazing and I'm really honored to have played you in the final of a Grand Slam."

The reigning US Open champion is the first player since Jennifer Capriati 18 years ago to win her first two Grand Slam championships in succession.

Eight different women had won the last eight majors, now Osaka has swept the last two Slams and will succeed Simona Halep as world No. 1 in the new WTA rankings on Monday.

Facing a second-set meltdown with serene maturity, the 21-year-old Osaka barely blinked in the final set to claim her third career title and become the youngest woman to attain the top spot since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010.

A gripping 35-game final equaled the record for the longest Australian Open women's final in the Open Era.

This was gritty clash that spiked with superb shotmaking, courageous comebacks, sudden momentum shifts, a late second-set implosion and a calm response from Osaka, who failed to serve out the championship at 5-4 in the second set, then withstood Kvitova's committed charge and rain drops serving it out in the final set.

Both women cracked 33 winners and both broke serve three times. 

A tearful Kvitova nearly broke down reflecting on an inspired journey from fighting for her life during a brutal home invasion to battling for a Grand Slam championship. 

"It’s crazy. I can’t believe I just played a final of a grand slam again," a teary-eyed Kvitova said amid rousing cheers of support from fans. "It’s a great tournament for me. It is a big honor to hold this beautiful trophy as well. It has been a while to be in a final for me and I need to thank my family and friends back home who were really supporting me right through the match."

Both the champion and the conqueror of a career-threatening injury shared gratitude.

"I want to say thank you to everyone who made this possible," Kvitova said. "To my team, thank you for everything. But mostly, thank you for sticking with me even when we didn’t know if I would able to hold a racquet again.

"Every single day you have been supporting me and staying positive for me, which I really needed. It probably was not easy, so thank you so. And a big thank you to all of you who came to support us."

This was a coming-of-age match for Osaka, who showed severe second-set jitters and steely will in the decider.

Three championship points slipped from her grip in a second-set slide, but a resilient Osaka met disappointment with deep desire.

Spare a thought for a courageous Kvitova, who was bidding to win her third Grand Slam title and become the oldest woman to debut at world No. 1 in the Open Era.



The 28-year-old Czech suffered stab wounds to her left hand during a horrific home invasion. Kvitova's wounds required a three-hour plus surgery in December of 2016 to repair ligament and tendon damage and left her without feeling ine the small finger on her racquet hand.

Competing with the courage she’s shown throughout her comeback, Kvitova never stopped fighting suffering her first career Grand Slam final loss.


Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

Riding a streak of seven straight final victories since her stabbing, Kvitova made an early statement.

Battering backhand returns, Kvitova earned two break points in the fifth game punishing the Japanese's second serve. Osaka withstood the early stress saving both break points to hold for 3-2.

In the early stages, Kvitova was crushing second-serve returns, but Osaka was standing firm winning longer rallies.

The eighth-seeded Czech earned triple break point in the seventh game, but Osaka withstood the storm repelling some deep drives and drilling a forehand down the line escaping a deep deficit for 4-3.

Curling her slider serve wide on the ad side, Kvitova dropped just five points on serve leveling after eight games.



For the first time in the tournament, Kvitova served to stay in a set.

The two-time Wimbledon winner withstood two set points with vicious serves. Whipping the wide serve, Kvitova cranked a crosscourt backhand forcing the tie break.

Forced to a tie breaker for the first time in five months—a streak of 63 consecutive sets—Osaka was exceedingly calm in the cauldron.

Dancing to her left on return, the US Open champion was in the doubles alley when she drilled a backhand return down the line for the mini-break and a 2-0 lead. Sliding an ace wide and slamming a forehand pass down the line, Osaka stretched the lead to 5-1.

The flat strikes that carried Kvitova into the breaker let her down as she missed successive backhands, ending a nine-shot rally with a stray two-hander as Osaka seized the 51-minute opener with a shout.

Osaka won 22 of 25 first serve points and played cleaner tennis—committing just seven fewer errors—to squeeze out a tight set that saw her save all five break points she faced.

It was the first set Kvitova lost in the tournament and the first time she dropped a set in a Grand Slam final.

A fierce front-runner, Osaka had won 59 straight matches when seizing the first set and was 29-1 in Slams when winning the opening set.

Undaunted, Kvitova came right back in the second set.

Oozing easy power, the left-hander lashed a series of laser forehands blistering a forehand winner down the line to earn the first break for a 2-0 second-set lead.

Stepping to her left, Osaka was reading the slider serve better and getting cleaner hits on her returns. Kvitova netted her third double fault to face a third break point.

Anticipating the wide serve, Osaka was waiting and rocketed a backhand return down the line that helped her break back.

Pumping a clenched fist between points and exhorting herself, Osaka raced out to a triple-break point lead in the fifth game.

The 21-year-old Osaka is the smoother mover and after a physical first set she was beating Kvitova to the ball with more urgency.

Running down the Czech's flat drives, Osaka answered with a searing forehand drawing a wild errant drop shot to break at love for 3-2.

Shots were sailing on Kvitova, who grew a bit sloppy trying to spark a comeback. Osaka exploited the errant play rallying from love-30 down to seal her fourth straight game.

Down 3-5 and triple championship point, Kvitova made a spirited stand answering with guts and aggression to deny all three championship points and hold for 4-5.

Stepping up to serve for a straight-sets win, Osaka gagged spitting up a double fault and sailing a forehand to five back the break. 

Matters degenerated from bad to worse when Osaka lost a pair of net-cord points then double faulted away the second set seeming on the verge of tears as she took a bathroom break to try to clear her head and make sense of a spiral that saw her lose four straight games. 

"I just thought to myself that this is my second time playing a final," Osaka said. "I can't really act entitled. To be playing against one of the best players in the world, to lose a set, suddenly think that I'm so much better than her that that isn't a possibility...

"Yeah, I wanted to enjoy my time here. Last year I lost in the fourth round. Now this year I was in the final, so I wanted to be happy about that, yeah, just basically have no regrets about today."



Resilience was Osaka's greatest asset as she shook off the second-set collapse and broke for a 2-1 lead in the decider.

Exuding a champion's character, Kvitova made one final committed stand in the seventh game.

Teetering on a triple break-point edge, Kvitova was one point away from going down a double break, but dug down dip firing two aces in the last three points to hold for 3-4.

"It's painful, for sure," Kvitova said. "I don't know how long will take me to get over it. When I look back, I did have my chances in the first set when I had 40-Love on her serve. Did have few breakpoints. I don't think I played something really badly, but I just think I should maybe go a little bit more aggressive one or two rallies.

"I really fight back in the second set. I'm proud of myself in that case. And, yeah, the third set was just one break. That's how the tennis is. It's the final. I think you just will get few chances. When you don't make it and you make it and you lose. And I think that also was the case today."

For the second straight set, Osaka stepped up to serve for her second straight Grand Slam title at 5-4.

This time, she met the moment with confidence and clarity.


Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

A jolting backhand down the middle brought Osaka three more championship points.

Banging one final big serve on her fifth championship point, Osaka created historic closure clinching her second straight Slam title and standing on top of the world second to none.