Watch the moment Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam
Naomi Osaka isn't just the woman who beat Serena Williams anymore.
The Japanese player beat the Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova in the Australian Open's women's singles final on Saturday. The win secured her second consecutive Grand Slam title and launched her to a No. 1 ranking.
Osaka and Kvitova went head to head the entire match, with Osaka narrowly prevailing 7-6, 5-7, 6-4. With that win, Osaka became the first player in 18 years to produce two Grand Slam wins in a row; her last was the startling U.S. Open upset of Serena Williams last September. Osaka also became the first Japanese player to win any Grand Slam, and the first Asian player to secure a top tennis ranking, per The Straits Times.
Before Saturday, Osaka had largely been known as the young player who bested Williams last year in a very contentious match. Williams had called the match's umpire a "thief" after a controversial call, and he returned her insult with a penalty of one game. That led Osaka to say she felt like she "had to apologize" for beating Williams in the end. But now, as ESPN put it, Osaka got "the moment she deserved." Watch below.
What a moment. @Naomi_Osaka_ wins her second Grand Slam in a row #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/9TTskXIH9E
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2019
The mixed doubles and women's doubles tournaments have also ended, but Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will meet Sunday for the men's singles final.