Australian Open: Naomi Osaka sails past veteran Hsieh Su-Wei into semis

World number three Naomi Osaka of Japan sailed past Hsieh Su- Wei in straight sets on Tuesday to book a spot in the semi-finals against either Serena Williams or Simona Halep.

The three-time Grand Slam champion overcame the world 71’s unorthodox style 6-2, 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena.

Advertisement

“I was pretty calm. I’m really happy how I played today,” said Osaka. She hit 24 winners to produce a dominant display in a match that lasted just 66 minutes against her 35-year- old opponent.

The 23- year-old with either play the 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams or world number two Halep for a spot in Saturday’s final.

“I normally never look at my draw but everyone’s told me about it here,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“I always watch Serena’s matches. It’s definitely going to be a lot of fun.”

Osaka has gone on to win the title each time she has reached the quarter-finals of a Slam and is on the verge of winning a second Australian Open title, having first won it in 2019.

Hsieh, a renowned doubles player, has been the surprise-package this tournament due to her varied style of play and friendly personality.

The veteran made history by becoming the oldest women in the Open era to debut in the quarter-finals of a Slam.

Osaka had admitted that she was not looking forward to the tricky match-up. Her wariness became a reality with Hsieh throwing her off her rhythm with her shots.

However, Osaka overcame the service struggles by dominating on returns and groundstrokes to break Hsieh twice and win the first set.

The US Open champion is currently on a 19-match unbeaten streak dating back 12 months but lost to American teenager Coco Gauff at Australian Open last year in the third round.