With Naomi Osaka enjoying a breakthrough campaign in 2018 and Kei Nishikori making a strong comeback from a career-threatening injury, the past season proved fruitful for emerging tennis powerhouse Japan.
Osaka started 2018 at No. 68 in the WTA rankings but experienced a dramatic rise to No. 4 — tying the record for the highest ranking by a Japanese player, male or female — in October.
She won the first title of her budding WTA career at the BNP Paribas Open in March, defeating former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova and current No. 1 Simona Halep along the way. Then just days later at the Miami Open, she handed Serena Williams, another former world No. 1 and her childhood idol, a straight-sets loss in their first meeting.