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."