Day 13 of Australian Open 2019, and the women’s final.
This was match one in the night session on Rod Laver Arena:
Naomi Osaka (4) (JPN) v Petra Kvitová (8) (CZE)
Osaka served first.
A double fault began the match but a couple of winners guided Osaka to a 1-0 advantage. A love game from Kvitová with an ace and backhand winner for 1-1.
Osaka, with a pair of aces, held for 2-1. Kvitová levelled again after a solid game, which included an ace and backhand winner. 2-2.
Osaka survived three deuces and two break points to take a 3-2 lead.
Kvitová saved one one and it was 3-3.
Down 0-40, Osaka saved all three break points, through Czech errors, and eventually held for 4-3, sealing with a winning forehand.
Kvitová, serving at 5-6, saved two set points, before a backhand winner sent things to a tie break.
Osaka played an excellent tie break, with three winners and an ace, whereas Kvitová hit errors which were unexpected.
With four set points in hand at 6-2, Osaka forced a backhand error to take a lead 7-6(2).
Set two began with Kvitová holding serve, then breaking the Osaka serve with a second opportunity, a forehand winner the shot to finalise.
This was the first service break of the match, but instead of consolidating it by holding in the next game, Kvitová went to deuce four times, wasted three game points, saved a break point, and eventually finished game three with a double fault and unforced error. Kvitová led 2-1, but games were back on serve.
Osaka won three more straight games, including another break of the Kvitová serve, to lead 4-2, the Czech unforced error count mounting quickly.
A hold for 3-4, sealed with a Kvitová backhand winner, was followed by a Japanese win on serve, concentrating on the Kvitová backhand.
5-3 Osaka.
Down three championship points after an Ōsaka winner and two of her own backhand forced errors, Kvitová suddenly, and to a shocked crowd, charged back into the match.
A winning forehand and then forcing Osaka into forehand failure saved two of the match points.
Then three successive attacks on the Ōsaka backhand produced errors, and serve was held.
Ōsaka still led 5-4 and served for the title.
A Kvitová backhand winner and an Ōsaka double fault produced two break points. An unforced forehand error from Ōsaka and it was 5-5.
The extraordinary comeback continued as Kvitová saved a break point in the eleventh game with a forehand winner before holding for 6-5.
Ōsaka then had the horror game of the match - three unforced errors donating three set points to Kvitová - to top it off, a double fault to gift the set 7-5.
A decider was required.
The first two games of set three went to serve without drama, but in game three, Kvitová saw a game point disappear. A double fault gave Ōsaka break point, and the fourth seed eagerly grabbed the chance with a winning backhand and took the lead 2-1.
An Ōsaka forehand winner ended the fourth game and consolidated the break. 3-1.
Kvitová had a break back chance in the sixth game but Ōsaka had it covered.
Games went with serve until at 5-4 Ōsaka had a chance to serve for the title - she was in the same position in set two, but things began differently this time.
An ace, followed by a forehand winner, and two points from the title.
Forcing Kvitová into a forehand error produced three championship points, but this time on the Ōsaka serve.
One was saved, but on the second, Osaka was too good for Kvitová’s forehand and the terrifically competitive, high quality match was over.
Naomi Ōsaka defeated a defiant Petra Kvitová 7-6(2) 5-7 6-4 in two and a half hours of wonderful tennis.
As a result of claiming her second successive Grand Slam title, Naomi became world #1, with Petra ranked just behind her at an equal career high #2.
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