Naomi Osaka, Yokozuna

Naomi Osaka, Yokozuna

Naomi Osaka became the 18th female Yokozuna (= Grand Champion) of the open era last night, by beating resurgent ex-Ozeki (= Champion) Petra Kvitova in the final of the 2019 Australian Open in three sets.

Osaka is only the second player - after Jennifer Capriati - to jump straight from Sekiwake (Junior Champion I) to Yokozuna, achieved by winning the second grand slam title right after her maiden slam - last year's US Open. But while Capriati had a long career at the lower sanyaku ranks before breaking through to top level, Osaka came out of nowhere: she had not been in a grand slam quarterfinal before she started winning slams.

Osaka's rise from grand slam debutante to Yokozuna is also one of the fastest of the open era: she needed just 15 grand slam tournaments to climb to the top of the game - although the record is still held by Dai-Yokozuna (= Great Grand Champion) Monica Seles with 8 tournaments.

Yokozuna is - in contrast to the other sanyaku ranks (Ozeki, Sekiwake, Komusubi) - a rank for life: as her fellow Yokozuna, Osaka cannot be demoted, but only be declared 'inactive' if she fails to produce results befitting her rank in the years ahead.

A full update will follow once the men's final has been completed.