Stepping Stones: Naomi Osaka's journey to the top
Naomi Osaka's career milestones as the three-time Grand Slam champion rose to the top of the sport.
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Although she did not play junior tennis, Osaka grabbed headlines in her WTA debut at Stanford in 2014, where as the World No. 406, she upset Samantha Stosur 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 in the first round.
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Osaka also made a splash on her Slam debut at the 2016 Australian Open, beating Donna Vekic and Elina Svitolina to reach the third round; two months later, she reached her first WTA quarterfinal in Acapulco and cracked the Top 100 in April 2016.
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At Roland Garros 2016, Osaka proved she was a quick learner: in the fourth red clay tournament of her career, she defeated Jelena Ostapenko and stretched Simona Halep - the next two years' champions - to three sets in the third round.
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Osaka was gaining a reputation for raising her game at Slams - but in the third round of the 2016 US Open tearful disaster struck as a 5-1 third set lead over Madison Keys dissipated.
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Two tournaments later, though, Osaka bounced back to make her maiden final at home in Tokyo, beating Elina Svitolina in the semifinals before falling to Caroline Wozniacki in the final - a result that moved her into the Top 50 for the first time.
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There was redemption at the 2017 US Open: returning to the scene of her 'freak out' the previous year, Osaka stunned defending champion Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-1 in the first round for her maiden Top 10 scalp.
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Osaka transformed from dangerous floater to title threat at Indian Wells 2018, pummelling a succession of former World No.1s and Slam champions to storm to her maiden trophy.
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Osaka followed the Indian Wells run by defeating childhood heroine Serena Williams 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of Miami.
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Five months later, Osaka would reprise that win on the biggest stage, shocking Williams 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the US Open to win her first major - and rocket into the Top 10 for the first time.
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A dramatic three-set win over Petra Kvitova in the 2019 Australian Open final sealed consecutive Slam titles for Osaka - and the World No.1 ranking.
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Osaka ended 2019 in hot form, picking up a first title on home soil in Osaka and following that with the Beijing trophy - ultimately putting together a 14-match winning streak, the longest of her career to date.
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Osaka demonstrated her increasing power and willingness to speak out on social issues by leading the WTA Tour in a Black Lives Matter shutdown at Cincinnati 2020, before wearing masks to honor Black deaths at the hands of the police at the US Open.
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Having brought seven such masks to the US Open, Osaka made both an athletic and political statement by wearing each of them as she captured her third major trophy, defeating Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
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