MELBOURNE, Australia – For Naomi Osaka, the excitement of the Australian Open tournament spoiled the surprise: she could face Serena Williams the next.
Osaka defeated Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2 and 6-2 on Tuesday to reach the semifinals, and will face the winner of the quarter-final match between Williams and Simona Halep, sown in second place.
“Normally, I never look at my draw, ” said Osaka.” But everyone told me about my draw here, so I kind of had no choice but to know who my next opponent is. It will definitely be a lot of fun. ”
Third, Osaka reached 122 mph in his serve against Hsieh. She hit seven aces, lost only two points on the first serve and was never broken in her 19th straight win.
Osaka also played excellent defense, as in the final game, when he ran forward to chase a drop shot, shaking a cross-court backhand for victory.
“I couldn’t afford to be lazy with my footwork, ” said Osaka with a smile.” I didn’t want to play three sets. ”
At 35, Hsieh was the oldest woman to make her Grand Slam quarterfinal debut in the professional era. But Osaka was not intimidated by Hsieh’s flat and deceptive strokes on both sides, hitting the winners in both corners.
Hsieh said that Osaka is a threat to win the championship.
“She can always go all the way,” said Hsieh. “She just needs to play her game and stay calm. She’s a great player. ”
Osaka’s winning streak includes a US Open title in September for his third Grand Slam championship. The streak also includes her victory in the fourth round last week, when she saved two match points and won the last four games to overtake Garbine Muguruza.
“It makes me a little calmer, knowing that my back was strongly against the wall,” said Osaka.
Osaka is 4-0 in the Grand Slam quarterfinals, including a victory on the way to the Australian Open title in 2019. Against Williams, their record is 2-1, but they haven’t faced each other since 2019.
“She’s Serena, ” said Osaka.” I feel really intimidated when I see her on the other side of the court. ”
In women’s doubles, the extended streak of the young American team Coco Gauff and Caty McNally ended in the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (4) and 6-1 loss to the fourth selection of Demi Schuurs from the Netherlands and American Nicole Melichar.
Gauff and McNally had a 4-1 lead in the first set, before a series of unforced errors allowed Schuurs and Melichar to make a comeback. The winners achieved a 3-1 lead in the second set after a break from service and ended the game quickly.
The American duo had defeated two teams in previous games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.