I fight the hardest in the finals: Osaka ahead of Aus Open final

Melbourne, Feb 20 Japan's Naomi Osaka faces American Jennifer Brady in the final of the Australian Open later on Saturday as she aims to win her fourth Grand Slam title.

The 23-year-old Osaka has never lost a Grand Slam final, winning all four of them. She also holds a 2-1 career head-to-head against her American challenger in the final.

"The winner's name is the one that's engraved. I think I fight the hardest in the finals. I think that's where you sort of set yourself apart. The other person has won as many matches as you did. It's the biggest fight," the third seed Osaka was quoted as saying by the BBC ahead of the final.

The Japanese had beaten Serena Williams in the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 to enter the final.

Osaka has won all her Grand Slams in hard-court events. She won the US Open title in 2018 and 2020 and also won the 2019 Australian Open title.

However, she is yet to advance past the third round of the French Open and Wimbledon.

Brady, on the other hand, is playing her first Grand Slam final. The 25-year-old's best was a semi-final finish at last year's US Open. She is currently ranked No. 24 in the world.

( With inputs from IANS )