- Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova face-off in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open 2019.
- The winner of the summit clash on Saturday, 26 January will rise to the number one spot in the WTA rankings.
- Osaka can become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014/15 to win back-to-back major titles.
- 28-year-old Kvitova can become the oldest-ever first-time No. 1 by winning her third Grand Slam crown.
Naomi Osaka never made it past the fourth round at any of the first 10 Grand Slam tournaments of her career. Now, still just 21, she's suddenly on the verge of a second consecutive major championship.
And the No. 1 ranking, too.
Osaka’s Stock Soars Higher
Osaka moved one victory away from adding the Australian Open trophy to the one she collected 4½ months ago at the US Open, using her smooth power to produce 15 aces and groundstroke winners at will while beating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the semi-finals on Thursday, 25 January.
“I just told myself to regroup in the third set and just try as hard as I can,” said Osaka, who saved four break points in the last set and finished the match with an ace at 115 mph (185 kph).
“I was so scared serving second serves. I was like, 'Oh, my God. Please!” Osaka said. “Somehow, I made it. I guess that's experience.”
A day after erasing four match points and a 5-1 deficit in the third set to stun Serena Williams in the quarter-finals, Pliskova could not produce the same kind of comeback.
Instead it is Osaka, the only Japanese woman to win a major singles title, who will face two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Saturday. The winner will rise to the top of the WTA rankings for the first time; Osaka is currently No. 4, Kvitova is No. 6.
Osaka's fourth-round finish at Melbourne Park a year ago was her best showing at a major until last year's US Open, where she outplayed Williams in the final. A victory over Kvitova would make Osaka the first woman to win two Slams in a row since Williams claimed four straight across the 2014/15 seasons.
Kvitova: A Story of Hope
Two years ago, Kvitova missed the Australian Open, just weeks after her left hand was stabbed by an intruder at her home in the Czech Republic. Back at her best during what she calls her “second career”, Kvitova surged to a 7-6 (2), 6-0 victory against 35th-ranked American Danielle Collins after Rod Laver Arena's retractable roof was closed as the temperature soared toward 105 degrees (40 Celsius).
Kvitova reached her first major final since the December 2016 knife attack that led to hours of surgery on the hand she holds her racket with – and first since winning Wimbledon for the second time in 2014.
“I didn’t know even if I (was) going to play tennis again. It’s been a long journey.”Petra Kvitova
Against Collins, a two-time NCAA champion at the University of Virginia who was 0-5 at Slams until this one, Kvitova was more aggressive throughout, mixing big lefty forehands and well-timed pushes forward to the tune of a 30-9 edge in total winners.
But the key to the outcome might very well have been what happened at 4-all after 35 minutes of action: That's when the decision finally was made to close the 15,000-seat stadium's cover, drawing cheers of approval from broiling spectators.
“I was happier than the fans that the roof closed,” she said afterward. “I like to play indoors. It helped me a little bit.”
When play resumed after a five-minute delay, it went from being completely even to tilted in Kvitova's favor. She dominated the tie-breaker and the second set to stretch her winning streak to 11 matches.
Road to Aus Open Final: Osaka
- R1 Magda Linette (#80) 6-4, 6-2
- R2 Tamara Zidansek (#78) 6-2, 6-4
- R3 Su-wei Hsieh (#27) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
- R16 Anastasija Sevastova (#12) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Q/F Elina Svitolina (#7) 6-4, 6-1
- S/F Karolina Pliskova (#8) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Road to Aus Open Final: Kvitova
- R1 Magadalena Rybarikova (#51) 6-3, 6-2
- R2 Irina-Camelia Begu (#70) 6-1, 6-3
- R3 Belinda Bencic (#49) 6-1, 6-4
- R16 Amanda Anisimova (#87) 6-2, 6-1
- Q/F Ashleigh Barty (#15) 6-1, 6-4
- S/F Danielle Collins (#35) 7-6, 6-0
Two Hot Streaks: Which Will End?
- Kvitova has won 11 consecutive matches, and boasts a 12-1 win-loss record in 2019.
- The Czech is on an 8-match unbeaten streak in tournament finals since returning from the surgery post the attack on her in December 2016.
- Osaka is undefeated at Grand Slams since the start of the US Open, a run which stands at 13 matches.
- The 21-year-old has won 59 matches in a row when she has taken the opening set.
(With inputs from AP)
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