Serena Williams overcomes Simona Halep to arrange blockbuster Australian Open semifinal with Naomi Osaka
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Posted On April 14, 2021
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The 23-time grand slam champion put in a dominant efficiency towards the Romanian, profitable 6-3 6-3, on Tuesday at Rod Laver Area.
It is going to be the fortieth grand slam semifinal of Williams profession because the 39-year-old appears to be like to equal Margaret Court docket’s report of 24 profession grand slam victories.
“Clearly I needed to, going up towards the No.2 on the planet. I knew I needed to do higher and that is what I did. I have been watching her and I am positive she’s been watching me.
“I really feel like that is such a superb alternative for me simply to maintain doing my greatest. It is the primary Grand Slam of the 12 months for me. I had an extremely lengthy, arduous low season. And so, I am truthfully proud of each win I get.”
The American will now face three-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka within the semifinal after the 23-year-old breezed previous Hsieh Su-wei in simply 66 minutes — 6-2 6-2 — of their quarterfinals.
The semifinal between Williams and Osaka would be the pair’s first assembly in a grand slam because the ultimate of the 2018 US Open when Williams clashed with umpire Carlos Ramos.
After virtually 4 years since her final grand slam victory — which got here in 2017 on the Australian Open — there appears to be a brand new spring in Williams’ step.
Having at occasions struggled along with her quickness throughout the courtroom, the 39-year-old appears to be like to have regained that pace and because of this, Halep proved no match for her.
Williams powered her manner across the Rod Laver Area courtroom in Melbourne, breaking Halep early within the first set and never loosening her grip throughout the opening salvo.
And though Halep confirmed her champion spirit within the second set — the Romanian is a two-time grand slam winner — to race into an early 3-1 lead, Williams by no means blinked.
Her glorious protection and return sport dragged her again into the set, finally placing collectively a run of dominant video games which wrapped up her victory in an hour and 21 minutes.
It signifies that because the center of 2010, Williams has solely misplaced two grand slam quarterfinals.
Now, the seven-time Australian Open winner will face Osaka in a highly-anticipated semifinal match-up, their first assembly in a grand slam since that notorious US Open ultimate conflict in New York.
