Pulling off a great win in the Pan Pacific Open, Naomi Osaka was able to win her first tournament since defeating twenty-three-time grand slam champion Serena Williams. This lively twenty-one-year-old was able to defeat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-3 in front of her home crowd in Osaka, Japan. As mentioned above, the significance behind this win goes beyond a simple hometown victory, it is also the first tournament she’d dominated since her performance in the Australian Open back in January. It is safe to say that onlookers can expect a trend of more wins in the near future.
Although she is at a young age, the skill level that Naomi Osaka exemplifies is one that has been noticed by greats such as Serena Williams, Tracy Austin, and Mary Hernandez. By winning this match, Osaka also moved herself back in the WTA rankings, after forfeiting her position as No. 1 earlier this year. However, keeping the ultimate goal in mind can take an athlete, especially of her caliber, to high places. Lastly, making it to the finals of each grand slam is a hope that most WTA tennis players wish to embark on, yet we know that the future is bright for this aspiring champion.