Naomi Osaka has put Ashleigh Barty’s quest for the year end No.1 on hold for now after the Japanese’s three-set win in the China Open final.
Osaka fought back to register a 3-6 6-3 6-2 win in one hour and 50 minutes in Beijing.
Barty is still in a strong position to become the first Australian woman in the professional era to end the year on top of the rankings however as she remains more than 1000 points clear of world No.2 Karolina Pliskova.