Australian Open: Osaka says she expected a tough fight against Pliskova

Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova

Naomi Osaka stormed into the Australian Open final yesterday to set up a battle with Czech comeback queen Petra Kvitova for the Melbourne Park crown and World No.1. The Japanese, 21, outgunned seventh seed Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to reach her second successive Grand Slam decider after a breakthrough triumph over Serena Williams at last year's US Open.

"I expected it, I expected a really hard battle," Osaka said of Pliskova's attempted return from a set and a break down to extend a 10-match winning streak. "Somehow I made it. I just told myself to regroup in the third set and try as hard as I could no matter what, and I managed to win."

Courageous Kvitova
Meanwhile, brave Petra Kvitova admitted yesterday it had been a long journey to make the Australian Open final after a knife-wielding burglar slashed her racquet hand in an attack that left her traumatised and scared to be alone. The two-time Wimbledon champion stormed past debutant Danielle Collins 7-6 (7/2), 6-0 in the semi-final. Kvitova, 28, feared she may never play tennis again after a man broke into her apartment just weeks before the opening Grand Slam of 2017. She suffered career-threatening injuries to her left hand as she fought him off.

"It wasn't only physically, but mentally very tough," she said. "It took me a while to believe [in the] people around me again, and especially the men, for sure. So I wasn't pretty confident to be alone somewhere."

'Mentally tough'
She still has nerve damage in her fingers and struggles to properly clench her fist. "It was a lot of work with the hand," Kvitova said. "I think that kind of the sports life helped me a lot with that. I really wanted to come back, and I just did everything."

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