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 never-say-die Kvitova won four straight games to force a deciding set before Osaka finally edged ahead with a decisive break early in the third. Osaka then brought up three championship points off Kvitova´s serve but the Czech saved all of them, forcing Osaka to serve for the title. She still had to see off a Kvitova break opportunity in the next but held comfortably, her mental demons put to bed. Kvitova would not surrender, saving three break points before again forcing Osaka to serve it out.

Source: Pakistan Today January 26, 2019 11:26 UTC