26 January 2019•Update: 26 January 2019
By Fatih Erel
ISTANBUL
Japan's Naomi Osaka won 2019 Australian Open on Saturday after beating Czech Petra Kvitova and became world number one in women's tennis.
The 21-year-old Japanese won 2-1 with 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-4 in the final on Saturday.
Australian Open champion Osaka replaced Romania's Simona Halep as the world number one.
"Thank you , I am really honored to have played in this final," Osaka said after the match.
"I would not have wanted this to be our first match but huge congratulations to you (Kvitova) and your team. You are amazing and I am honored to have played you in a Grand Slam final," Osaka said.
"Thank you to everyone who made this possible. I always love to come back and play here. And to my team, thank you for everything. But mostly, thank you for sticking with me even though we didn't know if I would be able to hold a racquet again," Kvitova said.
The 28-year-old Czech player claimed her first Grand Slam final since being stabbed in December 2016.
Following the final, Kvitova also became the world number two.
