Melbourne: Serena Williams on Tuesday reached the semi-final of the 2021 Australian Open after beating Romanian world No.2 Simona Halep in straight sets at the Rod Laver Arena.
American 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams on Tuesday reached the semi-final of the 2021 Australian Open after beating Romanian world No.2 Simona Halep in straight sets at the Rod Laver Arena. Serena Williams beat Halep 6-3, 6-3 to set up a semi-final clash against Japanese third seed Naomi Osaka.
This is Williams’s 40th Grand Slam semi-final as she looks to equal Margaret Court’s record haul of 24 career victories in majors. It is also the first time the 39-year-old, the seven-time Australian Open champion, reached the semi-final at Melbourne Park since she won the tournament in 2017.
In men’s singles, Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev continued his dream run by beating Bulgarian 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 and reaching the semi-final.
Earlier, Osaka earned her 19th victory in a row by overpowering Hsieh Su-wei 6-2, 6-2.
Seeded third, Osaka reached 122 mph (196 kph) on her serve against Hsieh. She hit seven aces, lost only two points on her first serve and was never broken.
Osaka also played excellent defense, such as in the final game, when she raced forward to chase down a drop shot, flicking a backhand cross-court for a winner.
At 35, Hsieh was the oldest woman to make her Grand Slam quarterfinal debut in the professional era. But Osaka wasn”t fazed by Hsieh’s flat, deceptive two-handed strokes from both sides, pounding forehand winners into both corners.
Osaka’s winning streak includes a U.S. Open title in September for her third Grand Slam championship. The streak also includes her fourth-round win last week, when she saved two match points and swept the final four games to overtake Garbiñe Muguruza.
It makes me a bit more calm, knowing that my back was severely against the wall, Osaka said.
Osaka is 4-0 in Grand Slam quarterfinals, including a victory en route to the Australian Open title in 2019.
Meanwhile, Djokovic survived another major test at the Australian Open on Tuesday, as he overcame Alexander Zverev 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(8) in three hours and 30 minutes to reach his ninth semi-final at Melbourne Park.
Djokovic saved nine of 12 break points, including a set point at 5-6 in the fourth set with an ace, to earn his sixth ATP Head2Head victory in eight matches against Zverev. The 33-year-old has now won 11 straight matches against Top 10 players at Melbourne Park, dating back to his quarter-final loss to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka in 2014.
Down to the very last shot, it was anybody’s game, anybody’s match, said Djokovic, in an on-court interview. ‘[There were] a lot of nerves out there, a lot of pressure. Emotionally, [I] feel a little drained, honestly. It was a great battle. Congratulations to Sascha for a great tournament and a great battle today. Tough luck today, but we pushed each other to the limit.’
This is Djokovic’s second comeback win against Zverev on Rod Laver Arena this year. Just 11 days ago, Djokovic outlasted the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-5 in Serbia’s 2-1 loss to Germany at the ATP Cup.
Djokovic has survived back-to-back four-set encounters since suffering an abdominal injury in his five-set victory against Taylor Fritz last Friday. The 17-time major champion is now two wins away from joining 13-time Roland Garros titlist Rafael Nadal as only the second man to claim nine or more titles at the same Grand Slam event. Djokovic is also aiming to narrow the gap on 20-time Grand Slam winners Nadal and Roger Federer.
Djokovic made a slow start to his 48th Grand Slam quarter-final (39-9), as he committed multiple double faults and forehand errors to drop serve in the opening game of the match. Zverev overpowered the eight-time champion from the baseline to earn a set point at 3-5, but Djokovic stepped inside the court and ripped a backhand winner down the line to stay in contention.
