Osaka fends off Brady for second Australian Open crown
Four seasons, four finals, four major titles – Naomi Osaka is entering the realm of the greats after adding a second Australian Open crown to her twin US Open triumphs, producing a tenacious display to beat USA’s Jennifer Brady 6-4 6-3.
Osaka becomes the first woman since Monica Seles – and first player since Roger Federer – to win her first four Grand Slam finals, and the seventh player in the Open era to save a match point en route to the Australian Open women’s singles title after battling back from the brink against Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round. Having survived the Spaniard, the 23-year-old maintained her formidable second-week record at the majors; she has never lost after reaching the quarter-finals.
Muguruza, the 2020 finalist, was the only player to take a set from the champion in Melbourne in 2021 – but Osaka found herself in a first-set dogfight with Brady, the No. 22 seed, just months after the duo faced off in the US Open semi-finals over three sets in New York.
“I told everyone that would listen that you were going to be a problem, and I was right,” Osaka told Brady during the trophy ceremony. “To see your growth over the past few months has been great. I’m sure we’re going to play a lot more matches, so here’s to that.”
Brady was the seventh woman to reach a maiden Grand Slam final at the last nine majors, with five going on to win the title – a run started by Osaka with her victory at the 2018 US Open. But after going toe-to-toe with Osaka in the first set, the American’s challenge faded in the second as her Japanese opponent surged to victory.
“She’s such an inspiration to us all,” Brady said of Osaka, unbeaten on court in over a year, a time when she has found her voice to address social issues in the wider world. “I hope young girls at home are watching and inspired by what she’s doing.”
The scoreline may suggest a regulation victory, but Osaka found herself in a match from the outset, Brady shaking off some early jitters to unleash her no-holds-barred power game against the 2019 champion.
The American 25-year-old’s serve, such a crucial factor in their US Open semi-final clash, was not firing early on. Through the first two games she made just four of 14 first serves and double-faulted twice to hand Osaka a 3-1 lead. But Brady’s forehand has been a formidable weapon in Melbourne, and a barrage of stinging drives drew the errors to break back in the next game.
With that, the match hit its stride. With Brady’s fearless big-ball tennis finding its mark, Osaka found herself forced to dig into her defensive playbook, not her natural game. Nevertheless, the No. 3 seed fashioned a break point at 3-4 and saved another at 4-4, and that defensive work paid dividends a game later as she landed a backhand block on the baseline that Brady could only spray long to bring up set point, the American netting a short forehand to give up the opener.
The cushion of a set lead seemed to free up Osaka, who began dictating play at the start of the second to quickly open up a 3-0 lead. Brady had outgunned Osaka in the winner count in the first set but suddenly couldn’t buy a blast in the second as the error count creeped higher and higher.
The pair traded breaks as the crowd urged the American to claw her way back into the contest, Brady holding to consolidate and winning two sumptuous rallies as she chased a second straight break to level up, but a frustrated roar rang out as she fired a forehand into the tramlines to give up the game 5-2.
Through it all, Osaka held steady. This was not the imperious display she produced against Serena Williams in the semi-finals; rather, it was a lesson in champions finding a way, adapting to the challenge, mamba mentality when facing a mongoose. The match ended as it began, Osaka serving out to love to clinch her second Australian Open crown. Two years earlier she had crouched in near-disbelief moments after beating Petra Kvitova in the final; this time she stood and smiled widely, soaking in her victory.
Osaka, who will rise to No. 2 in the WTA rankings, dedicated the Daphne Ackhurst Trophy to her support team, the ‘family’ that have spent “a month and change together” in Australia, before paying tribute to the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
“I didn’t play my last Grand Slam with fans so to have this energy today means a lot,” she said. “Thank you for opening your hearts and your arms towards us.”