A look at the rise and rise of Naomi Osaka.
Naomi Osaka of Japan beat Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova 7-6(2) 5-7 6-4 to win the Australian Open title on Saturday. With her win she also became the world number one in women's tennis. It was second straight Grand Slam title for the 21-year-old who has won the US Open in 2018.
Let's take a look at the rise and rise of Naomi Osaka.
1. Naomi Osaka: Early Life
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Born to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, Naomi Osaka grew up idolizing Serena Williams. She moved to New York when she was three years old and turned professional in 2013 aged 15. She played in the main draw of a WTA event for the first time at Stanford in 2014. She beat Sam Stosur in the first round before losing to Andrea Petkovic.
(Image: Reuters)
2. Naomi Osaka: Debut at Grand Slam
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Osaka made her Grand Slam debut as a qualifier at the Australian Open in 2016, beating Elina Svitolina in the second round before losing to former champion Victoria Azarenka. She cracked the top 100 in the world for the first time in April 2016 and the top 50 later in the year.
(Image: Reuters)
3. Naomi Osaka: Newcomer of the Year
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Naomi Osaka was named 2016 WTA "Newcomer of the Year" after making third-round appearances at three Grand Slams and reaching her first WTA final. She won her first WTA title in March 2018 in Indian Wells, beating Maria Sharapova, Karolina Pliskova and Simona Halep along the way.
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4. US Open win against Serena
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Naomi Osaka beat her idol Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final to claim her maiden Grand Slam title. It was final full of drama (from Serena's side mostly) but Osaka held her nerve to emerge victorios. She finished the year 2018 ranked fifth in the world.
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5. Osaka wins second Grand Slam title
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Oskaka beat Petra Kvitova in the 2019 Australian Open final to become the first player since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 to win the next Grand Slam after her maiden major title. She is also the first player other than Serena Williams to claim back-to-back majors since Kim Clijsters took the 2010 US Open and 2011 Australian Open. Osaka also became the youngest to achieve the feat since Martina Hingis won the 1998 Australian Open after claiming the US Open in 1997.
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6. Naomi Osaka: WORLD NO.1
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The final of this year's season-opening Grand Slam also determined the world number one ranking after Simona Halep was bundled out in the fourth round. Osaka will officialy climb from world number four to number one in the rankings on Monday.
(Image: Reuters)
