News Americas, MELBOURNE, Australia, Weds. Feb. 17, 2021: Haitian-roots tennis champion and US Open 2020 champ, Naomi Osaka, is set to face-off against Serena Williams again.
Osaka will face Williams in the semi-finals of the Australian Open after the American-born tennis great beat Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in the Australian Open on Tuesday to set up the meeting.
Osaka overpowered Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semifinals earlier in the day and is expecting a tough match at the next stage.
“Normally, I never look at my draw,” Osaka said. “But everyone has told me about my draw here, so I kind of had no choice but to know who my next opponent is. It’s definitely going to be really fun.
This will be Williams’ and Osaka’s fourth career matchup. Osaka leads 2-1, the most memorable encounter, of course, coming in the final of the 2018 US Open.
“She’s a great player on the court and an inspirational person off it,” Williams said. “I feel this is a great opportunity for me just to do my best in the first Grand Slam of the year.”
Osaka’s recent wins have included a US 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 Garbine Muguruza.
