Naomi Osaka claimed her second Australian Open title in three years after a straight-sets victory over American Jennifer Brady on Saturday.
Osaka became the first woman since Monica Seles to win her first four Grand Slam finals as well as four of the last six majors with a 6-4 6-3 victory against Brady, maintaining her perfect record in major finals.
The 23-year-old remains behind Ashleigh Barty in the rankings because of the temporary switch to a two-year system but there is no doubt Osaka is the best player in the world on hard courts, while only Serena and Venus Williams of active players now hold more major titles.
After stepping onto the podium to collect the trophy, Osaka turned to Brady and said: “Firstly, I want to congratulate Jennifer. We played in the semi-finals of the US Open and I told everyone that would listen that you’re going to be a problem, and I was right. To see your growth over the past few months is really cool.
