My father (coach) annoys me so much that he makes me win. NAOMI OSAKA

Naomi Osaka won the China Open on Sunday. The two-time Grand Slam champion defeated Ashleigh Barty 3-6 6-3 6-2 to win her third title this year. The victory in Beijing is a validation of her impressive form on the Asian swing of the tour. Osaka has credited her father, Leonard Francois, for her new aggressive style on tour. Francois has been coaching his daughter since September.

Tough final against Barty

In the final against Barty, Osaka admitted that she was frustrated after losing the first set. She said that she had a negative attitude at first but kept telling herself to stay positive. “I was telling myself to keep fighting even though my attitude was really trash. This is a final. I’m really privileged to be here in the first place, so keep fighting.” The former world number one also received a pep talk from her father during a changeover. She responded positively to her father’s coaching, claiming the second set before closing out the match with a comfortable third set victory. This was the fourth meeting between Osaka and the Australian and they now have two wins each.

The special motivation from her father and coach Leonard Francois

Osaka has seen her form improve since her father started coaching her. She won the Toray Open in Japan in dominant fashion, claiming the title without dropping a set. The 21-year old also had an impressive run to the title in the China Open. She beat Bianca Andreescu in the quarterfinals, halting the Canadian’s 17-match winning streak. In the semifinals, she defeated former world number one Caroline Wozniacki. After her victory over the reigning world number one in the final, Osaka has revealed that her father motivates her in a special way. She said, “He annoys me so much that it makes me angry, and I use the anger as a tool to win.”

Despite the success the two are enjoying, Osaka has revealed that the situation is only temporary. She revealed that watching her matches is highly stressful for her father. The 21-year-old doesn’t think he will continue to coach her in the long term. Victory at the China Open moved her up to third on the rankings. Osaka was determined to perform well on the Asian swing of the tour. She had a difficult summer with poor outings at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The former world number one has also qualified for the WTA Finals in Shenzhen.

Naomi Osaka’s ranking and performance in 2019

Ranked no.3, the Japanese played her last match on the 6^th of October when she defeated Ashleigh Barty 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final in Beijing to win her 4^th career title.

This year Osaka has a 39-11 win-loss record. Osaka conquered 3 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Osaka and in Beijing.