Australian Open: Naomi Osaka beats Petra Kvitova in thriller, becomes world number 1

Naomi Osaka battled past Petra Kvitova to win her first Australian Open crown and become the new world number one.

Update: 2019-01-26 11:38 GMT
Naomi Osaka holds her trophy after defeating Petra Kvitova during the women's singles final at the Australian Open. (Photo: AP)

Melbourne: Japan's Naomi Osaka battled past Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-4 to win her first Australian Open crown Saturday and become the new world number one.

The fourth seed and US Open champion made it two Grand Slam titles in a row after a see-sawing 2hr 27min match.

The hard-fought victory made Osaka the first Asian, male or female, to hold the world's top ranking, taking over from Romania's Simona Halep.

Similar News