Djokovic thrashes Nadal in straight sets; Osaka wins
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic trounced Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday with a display of almost flawless tennis to win his record seventh Australian Open title and 15th Grand Slam crown.
Though the world No. 1 had been the favorite, the match represented a startling collapse by the Spanish second seed, who hadn’t dropped a set throughout the entire tournament.
Wrapped up in just two hours and four minutes, it was also a far cry from the rivals’ five-hour, five-set semifinal last year at Wimbledon, and their epic almost six-hour match in the Melbourne final of 2012.
Djokovic has now won three consecutive Grand Slams, after claiming the Wimbledon and US Open titles last year.
The title moves him one clear of Australian Roy Emerson and Swiss Roger Federer who won the Australian Open six times each, and also puts him ahead of Pete Sampras, who won 14 Grand Slam titles.
During the awards ceremony on Rod Laver Arena, Nadal congratulated Djokovic for playing “an amazing level of tennis.”
“It has been a very emotional two weeks even if tonight wasn’t my best day of course (and) I had somebody that played much better than me tonight,” he said.
“Even if tonight was not my night, it was so important to be where I am today, coming back from injury,” added the Spaniard, who has been plagued by injuries and had not played a tournament since the US Open in September.
Djokovic, who has described Nadal as his “greatest rival,” returned the compliments, saying
his return from injury showed “to me and to all your other colleagues and many young tennis players around the world what is the definition of fighting spirit and resilience.
“I’m just trying to contemplate on the journey of the last 12 months because as Rafa I’ve been through a surgery and quite major injury myself the last couple of years,” he continued, after accepting the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.
“But I had the surgery exactly 12 months ago and to be standing in front of you today and managing to win this title and three out of four slams is truly amazing, I’m speechless.”
Djokovic dictated play from the start, only dropping one point on his service game in the first set, while Nadal struggled to hold, immediately being broken by the Serbian who shot to a 3-0 lead.
Osaka defeats Kvitova to capture Australian Open title, No. 1 ranking
MELBOURNE — Naomi Osaka seized the Australian Open title and the No. 1 ranking on Saturday after defeating Petra Kvitova 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-4 in a drama-filled match in which she failed to convert three championship points in the second set.
It makes the 21-year-old Japanese fourth seed the first woman to win back-toback Grand Slam titles since Serena Williams in 2015, after Osaka beat Williams in the final of last year’s U.S. Open.
She is also the first Asian woman to hold the No. 1 ranking, which she will take from Romania’s Simona Halep on Monday.
Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, had been playing in her first Grand Slam final since her racquet hand was severely injured in a 2016 knife attack at her home.
“Huge congrats to you Petra, I’ve always wanted to play you and you’ve been through so much,” Osaka said as she accepted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
“You’re really amazing and I’m really honored to have played you in the final of a Grand Slam,” she added.
Kvitova congratulated Osaka, saying it was a “great final” and “you really played well.”
She also addressed her team, saying “thank you for sticking with me even (when) we didn’t know if I’d be able to hold a racquet again.”