Naomi Osaka beats Jennifer Brady to win second Australian Open title

Straight-sets success secures fourth major tennis crown
Japanese player prevails 6-4, 6-3 at Melbourne Park

In the midst of this unending pandemic and a scattered, disjointed year of tennis, there has been one consistent sight throughout: Naomi Osaka exhibiting her greatness under suffocating pressure. She is already a star whose profile is in the process of transcending her sport but, most importantly, has the resumé to back it up. In a tight, gripping two-set match that saw her struggle and then soar, Osaka became a four-time grand slam champion by beating Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 to win her second Australian Open title.

The achievements she has unlocked in the process are startling: Osaka is now the first woman to win her first four grand slam finals of her career since Monica Seles in 1991. She is the seventh woman in the Open era to save match point en route to the title after her fourth-round comeback against Garbiñe Muguruza from 3-5, 15-40, in which she saved the first match point with a 119mph ace and hit zero unforced errors in the final 22 points. Only 15 women in the Open era have won four majors and she now stands shoulder to shoulder with Aranxta Sánchez Vicario and Kim Clijsters.