Each player’s respective route to the final makes for interesting reading as, quite clearly, Osaka has experienced the more arduous path, playing four seeds from the third round onwards. Ashleigh Barty has been Kvitova’s only elite opponent and the Czech is yet to drop a set, which has shown just how efficient she’s been in getting here.
It may or may not prove key, and Osaka is seven years younger so probably not, but Kvitova has been on court one hour and 46 minutes less than Osaka; that’s an entire match’s worth of tennis, and probably a bit more.
Naomi Osaka
First round: Magda Linette (POL) 6-4, 6-2
Second round: Tamara Zidansek (SL)) 6-2, 6-4
Third round: Hsieh Su-Wei (TAI) [28] 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
Fourth round: Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) [13] 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Quarter-final: Elina Svitolina (UKR) [6] 6-4, 6-1
Semi-final: Karolina Pliskova (CZE) [7] 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Petra Kvitova
First round: Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 6-3, 6-2
Second round: Irina-Camelia Begu (ROM) 6-1, 6-3
Third round: Belinda Bencic (SUI) 6-1, 6-4
Fourth round: Amanda Anisimova (USA) 6-2, 6-1
Quarter-final: Ashleigh Barty (AUS) [15] 6-1, 6-4
Semi-final: Danielle Collins (USA) 7-6(2), 6-0