Osaka returns to winning ways with Pan Pacific Open crown

Tennis - Pan Pacific Open - Women's Singles - Victory Ceremony - Utsubo Tennis Center, Osaka, Japan - September 22, 2019 - Japan's Naomi Osaka with her trophy. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

(Reuters) - Naomi Osaka lifted her first trophy since winning the Australian Open in January, blasting past Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2 6-3 in the Pan Pacific Open final on Sunday.

Her victory marked a return to the ruthless form that helped world number four Osaka claim last year's U.S. Open crown before her Melbourne success, with the 21-year-old not dropping a set all week in Osaka, Japan.