Rising tennis star Naomi Osaka has won her second straight Grand Slam defeating Czech Republic player Petra Kvitova.
Osaka stunned the tennis world beating out 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams in the U.S. Open last year. Now, she has sealed her place among the world's best by taking down Kvitova 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.
CBS Sports reports Osaka started as a fourth seed slugging her way to top to advance to the final. She had to beat players like Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova in very competitive matches.
For the entirety of the two-hour, 27-minute match, Osaka served nine aces and went toe-to-toe with Kvitova.
"You've been through so much," Osaka said to Kvitova according to The Washington Post. "I'm really honored to have played you in the final of a Grand Slam."
One year ago, Naomi Osaka was world No.72.
Today, she's the world No.1 and a 2x Grand Slam champ.#AusOpen
pic.twitter.com/OLZG94yZrY— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2019
Tears of joy ????@Naomi_Osaka_
#AusOpen
pic.twitter.com/ckfLkGG6kf— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2019
The hard-fought victory will make the Japanese-Haitian star the No. 1 player in the world. News of her ranking was a dream come true for Osaka.
"I'm beyond excited to become the new WTA World No.1," said Osaka. "I've always dreamt of being in this position and I am honored to be part of the elite group of players who have reached the No.1 ranking."
Born in Japan and raised in Florida, she is the child of a Japanese mother and Haitian-American father. This makes her the first Black woman to represent Japan on the world stage.
As it turns out, the No. 1 ranking also has some historical significance. This is the first time any player of any gender representing Japan has achieved the coveted spot. Additionally, at 21 years old, the dynamo is the youngest player since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010, who was also 21 at the time, to be top-ranked.
Her victory also comes after a recent whitewashing controversy where sponsor Nissin noodle company portrayed her as a pale white woman in a series of ads.
Those ads have been removed, and the sponsor was forced to apologize.
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