Naomi Osaka continues her astounding performance and her meteoric rise through women's professional tennis. After some heart-stopping moments, she prevailed in last week's Australian Open final, and is now the world's No. 1 female tennis player. As Japan celebrates her win, the country should use her success to think about the meaning of being "Japanese" and how to ensure that all its citizens are recognized and rewarded for their contributions.
Osaka defeated Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-4 on Saturday night to win the Australian Open and claim her second consecutive Grand Slam title. The match was close. After winning a hard-fought first set, she dropped the second, at one point losing 23 of 27 points, including three match points. She rallied, however, after losing the first game of the third set, reasserting herself to win the set and the match.
The victory gives Osaka her second consecutive Grand Slam win, after defeating Serena Williams in the final of the U.S. Open last September. In beating Williams, she became the first Japanese — male or female — to claim a Grand Slam singles title. She is the first woman to win two major championships in a row since Williams won four straight in 2014-15; eight women have won the last eight women's major titles. And it has been 17 years since Jennifer Capriati became the first woman to win her first major championship and follow it up with a victory in the very next Grand Slam event.