MELBOURNE, Australia — Naomi Osaka gave Jennifer Brady a lesson in Grand Slam tennis as she cruised to a 6-4 6-3 win Saturday, to secure her second Australian Open title and cement her standing as the new queen of the women's game.
Osaka's victory over the 22nd-seeded American at a floodlit Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, gave the Japanese third seed her fourth major crown at the age of 23.
Fans hoping for a repeat of the pair's engrossing U.S. Open semi-final last year were left disappointed as Brady froze in the spotlight of her first Grand Slam final.
A big serve sealed it, causing Brady to fire a forehand return long, and Osaka held her racket over her head and beamed in an understated celebration.
On a cool and breezy night at Rod Laver Arena, Osaka warmed up with two aces as she served out the opening game to love but the blazing start fizzled out in a stream of errors from both players.
Although it was a tough first Grand Slam final for Brady, she broke new ground in a remarkable run after being one of the 72 players unable to train during their two-week hard quarantine in the lead-up to the tournament in Australia.
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