Australian Open 2021 women’s singles final: Jennifer Brady v Naomi Osaka – live! | Sport

First set: Jennifer Brady* 4-6 0-4 Naomi Osaka Brady is up 15-0 but Osaka matches her. That was a Mozart point – she’d already written it in her head – drawing her opponent wide and deep and forcing an almighty stretch at the right-hand corner before placing a smash at the other side. There are signs Brady is cracking now, to the tune of three unforced errors and another loss of service game. Osaka, meanwhile, is in a trance with the finish line in sight.

First set: Jennifer Brady 4-6 0-3 Naomi Osaka* This is consolidation in a fashion befitting a woman who has won her past 20 matches. Osaka is in a hurry. She’s 40-0 and wants to wrap this up. If I may, she’s in too much of a hurry judging by the double fault that follows. Brady won’t let her get away with it without a fight. But two points is all she can muster before another “come on!” rings out at Rod Laver Arena. Osaka is up a set and a break.

First set: Jennifer Brady* 4-6 0-2 Naomi Osaka Osaka should not be able to offer groundstrokes like this. Is it wrong, but so right. It’s clean, cold speed and she has Brady over a barrel with two break points and needing only one of them to claim the upper hand in the second set.

First set: Jennifer Brady 4-6 0-1 Naomi Osaka* This pair don’t show a whole lot of emotion. It is all very cordial. There’s the odd bit of self-talk but not much else. Right on cue, Osaka emits a little “come on” as she heads up 30-0. But now Brady is forehanding left to right, body open to Osaka’s closed backhands. Forehand, backhand, forehand, backhand, forehand winner. An ace and another winner produces the hold.

First set: Jennifer Brady* 4-6 Naomi Osaka Brady has raced up 30-0 in a manner that says she’s not hanging on to the fact she failed to convert that break point in the previous game. Osaka, of course, is an aggressor even when receiving and she won’t be giving her an easy run. We’re at deuce and that pesky ball toss is back. Off the second serve Osaka gets a little bit lucky, stretching for the ball and fortuitously placing it on the outside edge of the baseline. That has put Brady off and, all of a sudden, the three-time grand slam champion has a set point. She obliges. More accurately, Brady obliges with a ball into the net.

First set: Jennifer Brady 4-5 Naomi Osaka* Brady has landed 12/30 first serves, Osaka 12/27, and the latter is following suit and down 0-30 in a hurry. Brady is applying some pressure here but Osaka claws back to 30-30. Oh what a shot! A clever rally from both replete with excellent shot selection culminates with Osaka rushing the net and hitting a would-be winner deep. But her counterpart is there, and lands a lobs just deep enough to prevent a backtrack. Those points are a joy to watch in a match that is high quality but also a bit of a war of attrition. Osaka holds off the advantage. Would be surprised if this doesn’t go to three sets.

First set: Jennifer Brady* 4-4 Naomi Osaka Take a bow, Brady. Osaka’s return of serve is good but she’s made her move to the other side of the court just as Brady backhands down the line. Osaka offers the American some of her own medicine with a carefully cultivated point that finishes with a smash on approach to the net to level at 15-15. Both are matching each under point for point until Brady, on her second serve, is perhaps not prepared for the return and dumps the ball into the net. Osaka has a break point, then promptly cedes it. Brady has the advantage but there is a lot of faltering and fumbling with her ball toss. She has a stern word with herself and anyone else who will listen, and finally delivers a lethal first serve that offers another advantage. It’s three deuces before she holds but it’s about the destination not the journey. Oh wait …

First set: Jennifer Brady 3-4 Naomi Osaka* Something is a bit off with Osaka. Is it the wind, the occasion, the threat up the other end who is currently out-hitting her? The number of wayward shots she’s dispatching is uncharacteristic. She Keeps calm, though, with an ace and a winner for good measure.

First set: Jennifer Brady* 3-3 Naomi Osaka Brady has warded off the backhand to kill by running around the ball again and depositing it down the line. There are some better-quality backhands too. Wow, that’s some response from Brady. She holds to love.

First set: Jennifer Brady 2-3 Naomi Osaka* She does have a forehand, though, does Brady. She runs around the ball to take it on the rise and unleash some top spin that simply comes back to her with equal ferocity. Brady cracks first when her backhand slicer doesn’t work. But Osaka, who is otherwise a picture of composure, isn’t placing those backhands inside the court. A near-200km/h serve takes care of that and gives her a game point at 40-30. Unforced error, double fault and it’s advantage Brady, another flashpoint that can dictate this set. Brady wins the battle – a long rally featuring extraordinary vigour. Osaka has set up her crosscourt winner but the net is more interested in saying hello. Forget everything I previously said about these two not breaking each other’s serve.

First set: Jennifer Brady* 1-3 Naomi Osaka That first serve is becoming a real problem for Brady. She’s having a hard time finding her range and Osaka is punishing her second. Two double faults later and Osaka has broken her to love.

First set: Jennifer Brady 1-2 Naomi Osaka* Osaka, ordained a “cool cat” by Serena Williams, the childhood idol she comfortably swept aside in the semi-final, is back on serve and loses the first point via an unforced error. While that is the only point she drops those errors are already racking up at both ends. Brady has six to Osaka’s three, and the wind must surely have something to do with that.

First set: Jennifer Brady* 1-1 Naomi Osaka These early stages are playing out a little bit like that US Open semi-final, in which there was hardly a service game dropped across three sets. A 40-0 lead appears promising but Brady has just served a double fault and a couple of unforced errors later it’s deuce. The American is being let down by an errant first serve and Osaka has the ability to really terrorise her second, especially with that backhand. It takes Brady two advantages to get it done but get it done she does. Perhaps a nerve-settler.

First set: Jennifer Brady 0-1 Naomi Osaka* The match is under way. Osaka won the toss and elected to serve, and so she should given its power and quality. To wit, she sends down two aces and another Brady cannot return on her way to holding serve to love. Interesting though that Osaka struggled with one of her ball tosses. You can hear wind on the broadcast.

There’s that cheer for Osaka as she warms up, Brady at the other end doing her thing. Worth noting that an American also won the Australian Open last year in Sofia Kenin. I’m sure that is not the eminent narrative in Brady’s head right now.

There are as many fans in the stands as are allowed after that mid-tournament five-day lockdown that forced everyone out. Real positive there is some atmosphere for this occasion.

I may as well hand this blog over to JP Howcroft as his updates quite frankly are far more interesting than mine. I am currently watching advertisements while wishing I was experiencing this:

“Now the roof is open and the fresh air has poured in, it’s surprisingly chilly and blustery in the stands. This might influence the action on court. Brett Philips, the court announcer, just asked the crowd who they were supporting. The response was overwhelmingly in Osaka’s favour.”

Time is ticking. It’s 7.30pm and still neither player is out on centre court. As I type, though, the roof is opening.

In the interim, a quick look at each’s road to the final:

Naomi Osaka
Round 1 – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) 6-1, 6-2
Round 2 – Caroline Garcia (Fra) 6-2, 6-3
Round 3 – Ons Jabeur (Tun) 6-3, 6-2
Round 4 – Garbine Muguruza (Spn) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Quarter-finals – Hsieh Su-wei (Tai) 6-2, 6-2
Semi-finals – Serena Williams (US) 6-3, 6-4

Jennifer Brady
Round 1 – Aliona Bolsova (Spn) 6-1, 6-3
Round 2 – Madison Brengle (US) 6-1, 6-2
Round 3 – Kaja Juvan (Slv) 6-1, 6-3
Round 4 – Donna Vekic (Cro) 6-1, 7-5
Quarter-finals – Jessica Pegula (US) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Semi-finals – Karolina Muchova (Cze) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

“This is mad,” Howcroft continues. “Now there’s a live rendition of I Am Woman.”

Indeed, I am also watching this on the TV. There are three women. Oh wait, and three back-up singers, all swaying to gentle strobing lights. No cliches to see here, folks.

Our eyes on the ground (belonging to Jonathan Howcroft) tell me the roof is closed on Rod Laver Arena despite there being no rain forecast.

“Now it’s pitch black with eerie dance music and lasers, like being at a nightclub in 1999 listening to Faithless,” he reports.

The broadcast feed is showing Brady going through her paces in the warm-up area below. Her heart must be racing but she’s not showing it.

While we wait, there are a couple of nice previews at your fingertips.

This quote from Osaka earlier in this tournament is intriguing given she had no idea she would eventually face her: “When I’m having a very hard time, I remember my match against Brady. I feel like it helps me out a lot just because I’ve never had to physically and mentally fight so hard. I think about that match a lot sometimes.”

And this on Brady’s battle-hardening route to the decider.

Jonathan Howcroft is at Rod Laver Arena for the match and has taken a stroll around Melbourne Park. Herewith a written and pictorial surveyal of the scene:

“The Melbourne Park precinct is filling slowly ahead of the women’s singles final. The weather has changed in Melbourne today with a cooler blustery wind taking the sting out of the sweltering heat of recent rounds. Skies remain urgently blue, as they have been the duration of this second week of competition.

“One of the features of the Australian Open site this week are the murals created by local artist Paink. Tonight he is rushing to finish Naomi Osaka’s portrait to sit alongside Serena Williams, Ash Barty, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. If Osaka wins the staged press call with her holding the trophy will surely be in front of here.”