Photo: Recep Sakar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
There was a lot on the line when Naomi Osaka walked onto the court on Saturday night.
After a losing second set, the 21-year-old tennis star — who picked up her first major title at the 2018 U.S. Open, beating proSerena Williams— rallied to win her first-ever Australian open, and make history in the process.
On Monday, when the new tennis rankings are updated, the Japanese-born Osaka, who iscurrently ranked No. 5 in the world, will move all the way to the top, becoming the first Asian player of any gender to hold the No. 1 spot, according toThe Telegraph.
After winning the match against Petra Kvitova, Osaka was instantlyovercome with emotion, crouching down on the court. With tears in her eyes, the tennis champion got up to shake hands with her opponent before making her way over to the bench, where she crouched down to the floor again with her face in her hands.
During Saturday’s championship, Osaka beat Kvitova of the Czech Republic, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.
Naomi Osaka.Recep Sakar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
“Sorry, public speaking isn’t really my strong side. I just hope I can get through this,” she humbly shared, before warmly thanking Kvitova.
“Huge congrats to you, Petra,” she began. “You’re really amazing and I’m so honored to have played you.”
Naomi Osaka.James Gourley/BPI/REX/Shutterstock
“I read notes before this but I still forgot the rest of what I was supposed to say,” Osaka said with a laugh. “So just thank you everyone and I’m really honored to have played in this final.”
Additionally, Osaka’s win makes her the youngest top-seated player since Caroline Wozniacki held the No. 1 spot in 2010, when she was only 20, according toBusiness Insider.
Osaka is also following in Williams' footsteps, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back majors since the 37-year-old tennis star won the U.S. Open in 2014 and the 2015 Australian Open,Sporting Newsreported. That year, Williams also went on to win the French Open and Wimbledon.
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Osaka told PEOPLE at the timethat she wasn’t nervous playing Williams “because I played her once before. The reason why I would be nervous was because I’ve never played a finals before. Otherwise, when I stepped onto the court I felt completely fine. When I play, I feel like a different person so I felt pretty comfortable.“She then addressed the controversy, saying she “didn’t really know what [it] was about.”
source: people.com
