Year Ender 2019 in Tennis: Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty, Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu Leave Their Mark at Year's Grand Slams in Women's Singles

Unlike the Men's Singles in tennis in the year 2019, the Women's Singles category was not dominated by a handful. Instead, each of the grand slams threw up a different winner in the Women's Singles section. Naomi Osaka won the Australian Open, Ashleigh Barty claimed the French Open title, Simona Halep lifted the Wimbledon Championships beating Serena Williams and Bianca Andreescu got her hands on the US Open title in what was a thrilling year for Women's Singles. Serena Williams came agonishingly close to equalling Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 majors in Singles but faltered in the finals of both the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open final. Ashleigh Barty, Australian Tennis Star, Named Player of the Year 2019 by Women’s Tennis Association.

Naomi Osaka started the year on a high, claiming her second consecutive grand slam, after winning the 2018 US Open slam. However, her domination could not last long, as she was ousted in the third round of the French Open. Ashleigh Barty ended Australia's 46-year wait for a French Open singles title by defeating nervous Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets. At Wimbledon, year's third grand slam, it was Simona Halep's chance to show her might as she defeated Serena Williams in the final, 6–2, 6–2, to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. The 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu won the US Open after she pulled off an astonishing win over Serena Williams at the Arthur Ashe stadium.

At Look at the Grand Slams and Their Winners in Women's Singles

1. Australian Open 2019- Naomi Osaka 

Naomi Osaka beat Petra Kvitova to win the Australian Open 2019 Women's Singles Grand Slam title and the first grand slam of the year. She beat Czech player Petra Kvitova 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-4 in the final. Osaka had also won the 2018 US Open championship defeating Serena Williams in the final. With the victory at the Australian Open 2019, Osaka had also become the World No 1 in women's tennis and won back to back slams. Naomi Osaka Wins Australian Open 2019, Beats Petra Kvitova in the Final 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-4; Becomes WTA World No 1.

2. French Open 2019 - Ashleigh Barty 

A few years after giving up Cricket in order to play competitive tennis again, Ashleigh Barty won her first Grand Slam singles title beating Marketa Vondrousova in the final in straight sets (6–1, 6–3). With the victory, Ashleigh Barty also ended Australia's 46-year wait for a French Open singles title. Eighth seed Barty got off to a strong start and never looked back, winning 6-1, 6-3 after only 70 minutes to claim her maiden Grand Slam title to kickstart a great year for her. The WTA also announced Ashleigh Barty, who is poised to end the year as number 1 women's player, as its Player of the Year.

3. Wimbledon Championship 2019- Simona Halep 

Simona Halep defeated Serena Williams in straight sets to lift the 2019 Wimbledon 2019 title. Halep’s 6-2, 6-2 dominant win over Serena came in just 55 minutes. She lost just one set in the entire tournament on her way to the Championship. This was Halep’s maiden title win at the All England Club. The 27-year-old Romanian had won the 2018 French Open, which was her maiden Grand Slam win. The final was heartbreak for Serena Williams as she failed to win her 8th Wimbledon title and a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam. Simona Halep Wins Wimbledon 2019, Beats Serena Williams in Straight Sets to Win Maiden All England Club Title.

4. US Open 2019- Bianca Andreescu

The 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu beat American legend Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 in a dream final for her at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The victory was special for Bianca and deeply disappointing for crowd favourite Serena Williams who was chasing Margaret Court's tally of 24 singles grand slams win. This was also Serena's second consecutive loss in a major's final and at the US Open final for the second year in a row.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2019 10:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).