Tennis news - Osaka shows steel to beat Kvitova and clinch historic title and world No 1 spot

The Japanese will become world No 1 after the 7-6(2) 5-7 6-4 win at Melbourne Park, which also makes her the first player since Jennifer Capriati to win the Grand Slam event after her maiden major title.

A tearful Osaka, 21, squandered three championship points in the second set, before regaining her composure to clinch the title in the third.

The first set was a close encounter, with both women serving brilliantly, and went to a tie-break which the fourth seed took decisively.

Kvitova has long been known for her ability to take matches to three sets, though, and so it proved when she forced a decider after holding her serve to love. Osaka, the first Japanese woman to hold the No 1 ranking, had gone 5-4 up but wasted her three match points when the Czech's forehand began to fire.

Osaka took time to regroup before starting that third set, and came out with renewed focus, but Kvitova pushed her all the way, forcing her to serve it out to take the title and the top slot in the rankings.

It was a marked contrast to her US Open win, where she beat Serena Williams to take the title in an ill-tempered final, as she received a proper coronation from an approving audience at the Rod Laver Arena.

"Hello, sorry, public speaking isn't really my strong suit so I just hope we can get through this," Osaka said after receiving the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup from former champion Li Na and a winner's cheque for £2.23million.

For Kvitova, simply being in a Grand Slam final was a triumph of sorts.

She had missed the tournament two years ago while recovering from an attack by a knife-wielding home intruder that left her with a stab wound to her racket hand.

"It's crazy, I can't believe I just played a final of a Grand Slam again. It's been a while in a final for me," said an emotional Kvitova.

"But mostly thank you [to my team] for sticking with me even [if] we didn't know if I would be able to hold this racket again."