Naomi Osaka, ranked number one by the World Tennis Association, cruised to victory over Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open championship on Feb. 21, dispatching her opponent in two sets.
The 23-year-old continues to dominate her competition, winning every Grand Slam final that she has participated in thus far.
Osaka ran away in this one with relative ease, only facing resistance in the first set (4-4) until ultimately hitting a forehand winner, scoring the next two points and won the next two games.
Osaka strung together four consecutive games in the second set and then finally shut the door, 6-3, to win the match. The Japanese phenom had six aces with only two double faults and won six games in a row at one point.
“I’m really happy right now,” said Osaka after capturing her fourth Grand Slam title. “I think this is a moment that I’ve been working for during the entire preseason. It’s really weird when you get to that final point. You start trembling because you think of the what-ifs. I feel like I’m living in a what if? Right now.”
Broner Victorious After Two-Year Hiatus
Former four-time world champion boxer Adrien Broner returned to the ring after a two-year absence and scored a unanimous decision victory over Jovanie Santiago on Feb. 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) struggled early, but “The Problem” pulled away late and won rounds seven through ten. The contest was scored 116-111, 117-110, and 115-112, all in favor of Broner.
“That was cool,” said Broner, who had his hand raised for the first time in four years and most recently fell to Manny Pacquiao in 2019. “I want to go home and really look at my fight. I haven’t fought in two years. But I felt good. I felt like I won the fight. I felt like I beat him with the jab, honestly. But it felt good to get my hand raised, though.”
Howard Women Continue Winning Ways
The Howard University women’s basketball squad is riding a three-game win streak after taking down Coppin State University on Feb. 21, 67-45. Howard (12-3) has a .800 winning percentage.
Three Bison scored in double-figures, with sophomore guard Iyanna Warren leading the way with 11 points and filled the stat sheet with two assists and three steals.
Howard jumped out to a 16-0 run in the first quarter and controlled the pace the entire way. Coppin State struggled to find any rhythm offensively, and Howard held the Lady Eagles scoreless in the final four minutes of the match.
The Bison are eyeing a potential No. 1 seed berth in the 2021 Cricket Wireless MEAC basketball tournament held in March but will have to take care of business against Delaware State University Feb. 27-28.
“We just want to close out the season strong,” said Howard University head coach Ty Grace. “We know Delaware State is going to be another challenging game. It’s going to be a road trip, they are going to be prepared for us.
“We talked about these last two weeks will be crucial, where we want to stand going into the tournament, and if we do what we need to do, hopefully, we will be in the right place at the right time.”