Aged 20, Osaka won her first ever Grand Slam in 2018, beating Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4, in the US Open final, and becoming Japan’s first Grand Slam winner. It proved to be a remarkable year for her as she also won the prestigious Indian Wells event in March, beating Sharapova, Radwanska, Pliskova and Halep en route to her first WTA title, reaching a career high No.4 in the world rankings.