Australian Open 2019 Women’s Final Highlights: Naomi Osaka beat Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova in the Australian Open final. (Reuters)
Australian Open 2019 Women’s Singles Final, Petra Kvitova vs Naomi Osaka Final Tennis Highlights: Naomi Osaka beat Petra Kvitova 7-6(2) 5-7 6-4 to become the first Japanese player to win the Australian Open on Saturday. This is also her second Grand Slam title. The win made fourth seed Osaka the first player from an Asian country to claim the world number one ranking.
The 21-year-old Osaka became the youngest women’s world number one since Dane Caroline Wozniacki, who was 20 when she topped the rankings in 2010. The fourth seed, one of the cleanest strikers of the ball in women’s tennis, also became the first player since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 to win the next Grand Slam after her maiden major title.
Live Blog
Naomi Osaka: I wrote notes before this and I still forgot what I was going to say! Thank you everyone.
Osaka: Thank you for coming out and supporting even though it is so hot all the time. Thank you to tournament director, ball kids and everyone for running around despite the heat.
Naomi Osaka: Huge congrats to Petra. I always wanted to play you and I wish it wasn't at this stage. I am really honoured to have faced you.
Kvitova: Thank you to my team. They stuck by me even if we didn't know if I could hold a racquet again. Thank you to everyone who came here. Hopefully I will be healthy and come here next year.
Naomi Osaka beats Petra Kvitova 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-4 for her second straight grand slam title. Osaka is also the new World No. 1 - first from Asia - male or female. She makes it back-to-back Grand Slam titles after overcoming a valiant Petra Kvitova
Kvitova holds for 4-5 against Naomi Osaka in the third set. Osaka will serve for the #AusOpen title for the second time.
Just like the second set, Osaka has a 5-3 lead after a perfect serve game. Will Kvitova again make it difficult for Osaka in the final games?
Down 0-40 again, Kvitova calmly finds a way to keep herself in the match with a hold. Her serve has been tremendous when she needs it most. Osaka is now serving with a 4-3 lead.
Down 30-40, Osaka comes up with huge shots to hold for 4-2 in the third set. Two booming serves, and a forehand winner.
Kvitova comes up with a big ace to hold for 2-3. Kvitova has gone back to her wide serve.
Now Osaka holds for a 3-1 lead in the third. The US Open champion has done exceptionally well in this decider, looking calmer.
Osaka breaks Kvitova to take a 2-1 lead in the third set. At 30-30 Osaka looked tired, frustrated but a shout out to herself (come on), and wins the game.
Scores are tied at 1-1 in the decider. Osaka makes the most of errors by the two-time Wimbledon champion to take the next game.
Kvitova holds at love to open the third. She has all the momentum in the world right now. With Osaka under pressure, Kvitova wins her fifth straight game.
From 3-5 down, the No. 8 seed won four straight games to take the match into deciding set. In a turn of events, Osaka double faults and can be seen struggling mentally. Osaka misses three match points and failed to serve for the championship as Kvitova forces a deciding set.
What an intense final! Kvitova survives a break point to take a 6-5 lead in the second set. Osaka will now serve to send this thing to a tiebreaker.
What a fighting spirit by Kvitova! She just broke Osaka to even things up at 5-5 in the second set.
Kvitova gets herself another chance, ensuring she does not make it any easy for Osaka. Kvitova fights off three match points to hold for 4-5. Osaka will now serve for the title.
Naomi Osaka is now one game away from winning the Australian Open title, her second Grand Slam title. She holds for 5-3 in the second set.
Kvitova holds for 3-4 against Naomi Osaka in the second set. Kvitova's serve looked better in this set.
Osaka holds for 4-2 in the second set. She's just two games away from another Grand Slam title and world no. 1 ranking.
Naomi Osaka wins three games in a row to lead the second set 3-2. Kvitova not hitting her serves as hard as she was in the opening set.
Osaka holds for 2-2. She's won 12/16 first serve points in the second set. Osaka is beginning to read Kvitova's serves well.
Osaka breaks back. She’ll now serve to even things up. Kvitova had a costly double fault at deuce.
The first break of the match goes to Kvitova, who takes a 2-0 lead in the second set.
Kvitova opens the second set with a hold. The beginning of this set could not be more important, as Kvitova can’t afford to let this get out of hand.
Osaka has won her last 59 matches in which she has won the 1st set - last defeat v Kuznetsova in Tianjin, October 2016. Also, 29 of the last 33 Aus Open women’s singles finals have been won by the player winning the 1st set
Kvitova struggles in the breaker as the thrilling first set of women's singles final goes to Naomi Osaka, who takes the opening tie-break 7-6. The world No. 4 played a flawless tiebreaker. She is now one set away from winning back-to-back Grand Slam titles.
Osaka has taken her game to another level in this tiebreaker. She leads 5-1.
Kvitova saves two set points to force an opening-set tiebreaker. Both players have thrived when taking the first set in their careers. This one is crucial.
A strong hold from Osaka again sees the US Open champion leading 6-5 in the opening set. But it wasn’t easy. Kvitova won what could be the Point of the Match in that game.
That's a hold for Kvitova with two drop shots. Kvitova was 15-30 up before she shows some variations in her shots to get the better of Osaka. Drop shots have been the strong point for Kvitova.
Brilliant comeback from Osaka, who takes the game featuring an ace and just five shots.
Kvitova easily holds for 4-4. Osaka, who does well during rallies, struggles to find her first serve. Kvitova meanwhile sliced a backhand into the net for 40-15, before levelling the set.
Down 0-40, Osaka rallies to hold for a 4-3 lead. Despite not a very strong first serve right now, Osaka has managed to keep it going her way. Which is also because Kvitova missed a few times.
Osaka forces an unforced error to earn her first break but Kvitova is not going to let it go easily, or at all. A brilliant first serve sees Kvitova level the first set again 3-3 as Osaka is caught on the wrong foot.
Two break points saved as Naomi Osaka with a difficult service game leads 3-2 in the first set. Osaka was down 0-30 with Kvitova acing her return game. Osaka, however, denied Kvitova two break points before closing out the game.
That was the first proper rally (10 shots) of the final and the US Open champion takes the point. Kvitova responds by three good serves to earn the game and level the first set.
Lovely stuff from Osaka, who now serves to love, as she finds a huge ace to wrap up a hold to love.
Kvitova responds by taking the next game, rips a low forehand winner with Osaka unable to reach and the two-time Wimbledon winner closes out to love.
The first set of the women's singles final and Osaka takes the first game, who was up 30-15 with a quick serve and volley at the net. Kvitova under early pressure.
Naomi Osaka vs Petra Kvitova in the women's singles final is underway
Petra Kvitova and Naomi Osaka are officially on the court. The women’s final is about to get started! The stakes couldn’t be higher, as these two are playing for both the title and the No. 1 ranking.
First round:
Osaka began the Australian Open campaign well, struck 30 winners in the demolishing of world No 86 Magda Linette of Poland to reach the second round.
Second round:
Osaka beat Tamara Zidansek 6-2, 6-4 in the second round at Melbourne Park to continue her campaign at the Australian Open. The fourth-seeded Osaka recovered a service break in the second set and, at 4-4, she broke Zidansek’s service to love. Osaka hit an ace to save a break point in the last game and clinched it on her second match point with a service winner.
Third round:
The 21-year old escaped a scare in the third round as she lost the first set and tripped in the second against Hsieh Su-wei. Osaka, who also got a warning from the umpire after she spiked her racket in frustraton, recovered both times and avoided slipping out of the Australian Open with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win over Hsieh Su-wei.
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First round:
Kvitova strolled into the Australian Open second round with a straight sets win over Magdelena Rybarikova of Slovakia on Monday. The eighth seed struggled with her serve early in the match before finding her rhythm for a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Second round:
Kvitova put on a dominant display to defeat Irina-Camelia Begu 6-1, 6-3 in one hour and nine minutes to extend her winning streak to seven and move into the third round of the Australian Open.
Third round:
Petra Kvitova made light work of Belinda Bencic in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday, to sail through the the last 16. The Czech overcame Bencic in just an hour and eight minutes to extend her winning streak to nine matches, beating Bencic 6-1 6-4.
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Hello and welcome to our live blog on the women's singles final between Petra Kvitova and Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open. After numerous upsets, heartbreaks and joyous moments, Kvitova and Osaka have a shot at history. While the Czech international would look to win her first Grand Slam title since 2012, Osaka would be eager to continue her winning run at the Grand Slam and become World No. 1 at the young age of 21.