Australian Open: Naomi Osaka cruises to title with straight-sets win over American Jennifer Brady

Naomi Osaka confirmed her standing because the queen of arduous court docket tennis when she fought off the sport problem of Jennifer Brady to say her second Australian Open.

The quantity three seed grew to become the primary lady since Monica Seles to win all 4 of her preliminary Grand Slam finals when she downed the world quantity 24, 6-4 6-3, in 77 minutes.

The 23 year-old, born in Japan and raised in America, clearly felt the stress of being the robust favorite however disregarded a primary set scare to claim her superior class with the simple energy on her groundstrokes.

Naomi Osaka cruised to her second Australian Open title with a straight-sets win within the last

The Japanese star posed for the cameras whereas holding the gleaming silverware aloft

After beginning slowly Osaka shortly discovered her gear and moved into cruise management 

Brady, the twenty second seed, fought proper until the tip however in the end got here up quick on Saturday night time

Brady began promisingly as Osaka made errors, however was shortly overpowered within the last

She has now gained 4 of the final six Grand Slam occasions staged on arduous courts, even when repeating that dominance on clay and grass has proved way more elusive.

Simply making the ultimate had been an incredible effort from Brady, who final month spent two weeks locked up in her resort room. She was one of many 72 gamers in full quarantine after somebody examined constructive on her flight.

Windy circumstances greeted the gamers and a restricted crowd allowed into Rod Laver Enviornment.

Fears that Osaka might stroll away with it could have been burnished when she took an early lead, with indicators that the event was attending to the American, who double faulted twice to get damaged early on.

The pair line-up earlier than the match – it was the primary Grand Slam singles last of Brady’s profession

Nevertheless she shortly recovered as nerves appeared to creep in on the opposite facet, with the Japanese participant beginning to overplay and spray unforced errors across the court docket.

Brady was fortunately standing toe to toe, and had a giant likelihood when she created two break factors at 4-4. 

Osaka saved one in every of them with a looping forehand after which benefitted when her opponent out of the blue tightened up at 4-5, double faulting after which, on the primary set level, dumping a simple forehand within the internet.

The ultimate befell with a crowd in Melbourne after the lockdown was lifted earlier this week

That was at all times going to be powerful for final yr’s US Open semi-finalist to swallow, and the favorite relaxed into the event.

As she did in her semi-final win in opposition to Serena Williams, Osaka momentarily tightened up in sight of the profitable submit and was damaged at 4-0. Regular service was resumed quickly after, with Brady at all times having to press to the restrict at the price of unforced errors. 

She made Osaka serve it out at 5-3 however that was carried out with a minimal of drama. 

Gracious in victory, the newly-crowned champion additionally paid a glowing tribute to Brady, who’d extremely endured two weeks in arduous quarantine on arrival to Australia final month after a passenger on her constitution flight examined constructive to COVID-19.  

However not earlier than cheekily trolling her by asking if she most popular to be known as Jennifer or Jenny. 

Brady replied: ‘Jenny’.

‘Firstly, I wish to congratulate Jennifer,’ Osaka continued.

‘We performed within the semi of the US Open a pair months in the past. I informed everybody that will pay attention that you simply’re gonna be an issue – and I used to be proper.’