Former No.1 Star Names Naomi Osaka ’New Boss’ Of Women’s Tennis After Williams Win - UBITENNIS
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Former No.1 Star Names Naomi Osaka ’New Boss’ Of Women’s Tennis After Williams Win

Justine Henin says she is ‘confident’ that the Japanese player will win more major titles in the years to come.

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The latest win by Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open has underlined her position as a leader of the women’s game, according to tennis great Justine Henin.

 

Osaka is through to her fourth Grand Slam final after defeating idol Serena Williams in straight sets on Thursday. The Japanese player has now won 13 consecutive matches at major tournaments after also winning the US Open last year. In Melbourne she has only dropped one set so far which was against Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round.

Although it is Osaka’s more recent performance which has earned her praise from former No.1 Henin who won six major titles, as well as an Olympic gold medal, during her career. Speaking to Eurosport’s Cube the 38-year-old outlined one particular area of Osaka’s game that she was particularly impressed with.

Serena was clearly confident at the start of the match and Naomi was making a lot of mistakes, but the big difference now is the experience of Osaka,” Henin said.
“It is her capacity, also, to stay in it, and then she started to serve better. The thing I’m really impressed about is that she doesn’t need to overplay.
“Clearly, once she got into the match she was in control of the rallies. She was powerful and she was serving better and better in the second set.
“For me, women’s tennis has a new boss. She has this capacity and she is taking her game to another dimension after winning the US Open again.”

As to what the future may hold for Osaka, Henin has backed her to claim more major titles in the future. So far in her career, the 23-year-old has won six WTA titles and has spent 25 weeks as world No.1. A longer stint than Tracey Austin, Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters. She is the first Asian player – male or female – to have topped the tennis ranking system.

“She is really charismatic, and she does not really have any weaknesses. She could improve her first-serve percentage, but I’ve been really impressed,” Henin commented.
“She plays like a champion and I’m very confident she will win more Grand Slams.”

Osaka will play Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open final on Saturday who she has beaten in two out of their three previous meetings on the Tour. She is hoping to continue her unbeaten record in major finals.

For me, I have this mentality that people don’t remember the runners up. You might, but the winner’s name is the one that’s engraved,” said Osaka. “I think I fight the hardest in the finals. I think that’s where you sort of set yourself apart. It’s the other person won as many matches as you did. It’s something that I think, I don’t know, it’s like the biggest fight.”

Osaka is bidding to become the first WTA player to win all four of her first Grand Slam finals since Monica Seles during the 1990s.

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Jannik Sinner beats Danil Medvedev in the China Open final to clinch the ninth title of his career

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Jannik Sinner beat Danil Medvedev 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-2) after 2 hours and 1 minute earning the first match win of his career against his Russian rival in his seventh attempt. 

 

Sinner has won the ninth title of his career and the third of the 2023 season following his triumphs Montpellier and his first ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto. The Italian player claimed the second ATP 500 title after Washington following his two wins over top 3 players Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal and Danil Medvedev in the final. 

Sinner has moved to number 4 in the ATP Live Ranking becoming the second Italian player to reach the top 5 after Adriano Panatta, who won the Internazionali d’Italia in Rome and Roland Garros in 1976 reaching a career high of world number 4. Sinner is aiming to qualify for the NITTO ATP Finals in Turin for the first time after playing as alternate in 2021.

Both players served well in the first four games of the opening set. Sinner saved a break point in the fifth game and held serve with a forehand. Medvedev fended off two break points in the eighth game. Sinner earned two mini-breaks to open up a 3-0 lead in the tie-break and hit two winners on serve to race out to 5-0. Medvedev pulled one of the mini-breaks back but Sinner closed out the first set 7-2 on his second set point. 

Medvedev saved three break points (the third with a forehand winner) in the third game of the second set to hold serve at deuce for 2-1. Sinner held serve to 30 at 3-4 and won the 10th game on serve at love to prolong the match. 

Sinner opened up a 3-0 lead with an early mini-break at the start of the second tie-break and forged to 5-2 with a service winner. Sinner earned four match points with a forehand and converted his first chance with a forehand winner to secure his 49th match of the season.  

“Danil, thanks for letting me at least one match. We have had some very tough battles, especially this year. Thanks for making me a much better player. I have been training a lot to beat you. My team are working a lot. Thank you very much and it is special this moment with you”, said Sinner during the award ceremony. 

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Iga Swiatek cruises past Magda Linette to reach the quarter final at the China Open in Beijing

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Iga Swiatek cruised past this year’s Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette 6-1 6-1 to reach the quarter final at the China Open in Beijing. Swiatek has won her 60th match in 2023. 

 

Swiatek set up a match against Caroline Garcia or Anhelina Kalinina. 

Swiatek did not face any break points and dropped just eight points on her serve and hit 16 winners to Linette’s three. She broke twice in the first set and three times in the second set. 

Swiatek has won her 18th match this year for the loss of three or fewer games. 

Swiatek has improved to 3-1 in her head-to-head matches against her compatriots. She lost her only match via retirement against Joanna Zawadswa in the first round of the Warsaw ITF W25 tournament in 2018. 

Swiatek has reached her 14th quarter final in 2023 and her ninth at WTA 1000 level. The Polish player has become the fourth player since 2009 to reach seven or more WTA 1000 quarter final in the same season after Agnieszka Radwanska, Li Na and Serena Williams. 

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Dusan Lajovic beats Stan Wawrinka to reach the second round in Shanghai

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Dusan Lajovic beat Stan Wawrinka 6-4 7-6 (9-7) on Stadium  Court at the Masters 1000 tournment in Shanghai in their first head-to-head match since Roland Garros 2015. 

 

Lajovic, who won the ATP 250 title in Banja Luka last April completed the set of winning a main-draw match at each of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments. 

Lajovic broke Wawrinka’s serve in the first game of the opening set. The Serbian player earned a double break in the seventh game to open up a 5-2. Wawrinka pulled one break back in the eighth game for 3-5, but Lajovic served out the first set to love. 

Lajovic earned went up a break twice in the third and seventh games of the second set, but Wawrinka broke back both times. Lajovic saved a set point at 6-7 in the tie-break and won the final three points to close out the match in 1 hour and 53 minutes. 

Lajovic hit 16 winners to just 7 unforced errors. The Serbian player moved to 1-2 in his three head-to-head matches against his Swiss opponent. 

Lajovic set up a second round match against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. 

Brandon Nakashima beat Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-1 7-6 (7-3) to set up a second round match against Holger Rune. Nakashima won his first Masters 1000 match since last March in Miami. Nakashima broke twice in the second and fourth games and held his final service game at love to seal the first set 6-1. Both players went on serve with no break points en route to the tie-break. Zapata Miralles earned an early mini-break at the start of the tie-break to take a 2-0 lead. Nakashima won seven of the next eight points including three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-3. 

Thanasi Kokkinakis beat Fabio Fognini 6-2 6-4 in 1 hour and 20 minutes. Kokkinakis earned an early break in the first game of the opening set. Fognini did not convert two break-back points in the second game. Fognini saved a break point in the fifth game, but Kokkinakis broke for the second time in the seventh game and held his serve in the next game to seal the first set 6-2. Fognini made three unforced errors at 4-4 in the second set and Kokkinakis earned the break after Fognini made his third double fault of the match. 

Kokkinakis leads 4-0 in his head-to-head matches against Fognini. The Australian player will face Hubert Hurkacz in the second round. 

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