Osaka bags fourth Grand Slam after Australian Open triumph

Japan’s Naomi Osaka bagged her fourth Grand Slam title after swatting away the USA’s Jennifer Brady in the 2021 Australian Open final 6-4, 6-3 in Melbourne Saturday.

This was the 23-year old Osaka’s second Australian Open crown after her first in 2019; her two other major wins coming in the US Open in 2018 and 2020.

World No 2 Osaka, of Haitian and Japanese heritage, saved two match points in her fourth round win against Spaniard-Venezuelan Garbine Muguruza and also beat her idol Serena Williams of the US in straight sets in the semi-final before dominating the 25-year old Brady, who contested her first Grand Slam final.

Osaka took a little more than an hour to win the Australian Open final Reuters

Osaka edged a tight first set and broke the American twice in the second in 77 minutes in front of thousands of fans at Rod Laver Arena.

She also becomes the first woman since Monica Seles to win her first four major finals.

Osaka, rated as the world's top-earning female athlete, has not lost a match in more than a year.