| |
United
States'
Jennifer
Brady
hits a
forehand
return
to
Japan's
Naomi
Osaka
during
the
women's
singles
final at
the
Australian
Open
tennis
championship
in
Melbourne,
Australia,
Saturday,
Feb. 20,
2021.(AP
Photo/Andy
Brownbill)
|
|
|
Osaka
shines
to claim
second
Australian
Open
crown
By
Ian
Ransom
reuters.com
MELBOURNE
- Naomi
Osaka
gave
Jennifer
Brady a
lesson
in Grand
Slam
tennis
as she
cruised
to a 6-4
6-3 win
to
secure
her
second
Australian
Open
title on
Saturday
and
cement
her
standing
as the
new
queen of
the
women’s
game.
Tennis -
Australian
Open -
Women's
Singles
Final -
Melbourne
Park,
Melbourne,
Australia,
February
20, 2021
Japan's
Naomi
Osaka
gives an
interview
as she
celebrates
with the
trophy
after
winning
her
final
match
against
Jennifer
Brady of
the U.S.
REUTERS/Loren
Elliott
Osaka’s
victory
over the
22nd-seeded
American
at a
floodlit
Rod
Laver
Arena
gave the
Japanese
third
seed her
fourth
major
crown at
the age
of 23.
Fans
hoping
for a
repeat
of the
pair’s
engrossing
U.S.
Open
semi-final
last
year
were
left
disappointed
as Brady
froze in
the
spotlight
of her
first
Grand
Slam
final.
U.S.
Open
champion
Osaka
played
some way
short of
her best
tennis
and
joined
Brady in
contributing
to a
dour,
error-strewn
first
set.
But
she
settled
to
clinch
six
straight
games,
roaring
to a 4-0
lead in
the
second
before
serving
out the
match to
love.
A
big
serve
sealed
it,
causing
Brady to
fire a
forehand
return
long,
and
Osaka
held her
racket
over her
head and
beamed
in an
understated
celebration.
Osaka,
who won
the 2019
tournament,
offered
Brady
warm
congratulations
and
thanked
the fans
at the
trophy
ceremony.
“When we
played
in the
semis of
the U.S.
Open, a
couple
of
months
ago, and
I told
everyone
that
‘Listen
you’re
going to
be a
problem’.
And I
was
right,”
said
Osaka,
who will
be world
number
two when
the
rankings
are
updated.
“It
feels
really
incredible
for me.
I didn’t
play my
last
Grand
Slam
with
fans so
just to
have
this
energy
it
really
means a
lot.”
EARLY
NERVES
On a
cool and
breezy
night at
Rod
Laver
Arena,
Osaka
warmed
up with
two aces
as she
served
out the
opening
game to
love but
the
blazing
start
fizzled
out in a
stream
of
errors
from
both
players.
Grappling
with
early
nerves,
Brady
dropped
serve
after
two
double-faults
but
quickly
broke
back
when
Osaka
double-faulted
to gift
a break
point.
Brady
breathed
some
life
into the
contest
at 4-4,
luring
Osaka in
with a
drop-shot,
then
scrambling
forward
to
retrieve
and lob
her for
break
point.
Osaka
cancelled
it
nervelessly
with an
imperious
forehand
winner
launched
from the
baseline.
Brady
kept
offering
Osaka
gifts
from her
racket.
Serving
to stay
in the
set at
5-4, she
double-faulted
then
slapped
a wild
forehand
over the
baseline
to cough
up set
point.
Brady
fired
down a
huge
serve
that
Osaka
could
only
return
short,
then
stepped
in to
pound
what
should
have
been a
simple
forehand
winner
straight
into the
net.
The
crowd
groaned
and
Brady
went to
her
chair
ashen-faced.
Osaka
stepped
up the
pressure,
breaking
Brady
again
after
setting
up the
chance
with a
sumptuous
crosscourt
backhand
winner.
She
charged
on to a
4-0 lead
before
Brady
belatedly
conjured
some
resistance
to break
Osaka
against
the flow
of play.
The
American
clawed
back to
5-3 but
bowed
out as
she
started,
smashing
wild
returns
to allow
Osaka to
serve
out the
match
without
trouble.
Although
it was a
tough
first
Grand
Slam
final
for
Brady,
she
broke
new
ground
in a
remarkable
run
after
being
one of
the 72
players
unable
to train
during
their
two-week
hard
quarantine
in the
lead-up.
“First I
would
like to
congratulate
Naomi on
another
Grand
Slam
title,”
said the
25-year-old.
“She’s
such an
inspiration
to us
all and
what
she’s
doing
for the
game is
amazing
and
getting
the
sport
out
there
and I
hope
young
girls at
home are
watching
and are
inspired
by what
she’s
doing.”
Reporting
by Ian
Ransom;
Editing
by Ken
Ferris
|
| |
|
|
|
|
I
HI TECH NEWS
I
SPORTS
I
