Osaka hurries into last four of Australian Open
Naomi Osaka wasted little time in advancing to the semifinals of the Australian Open in Melbourne yesterday.
Osaka earned her 19th victory in a row by overpowering Hsieh Su-wei 6-2
6-2, and will next meet the winner of the quarterfinal later last night between 23-time grand slam singles champion Serena Williams and No 2seed Simona Halep. ‘‘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 fun.’’
Seeded third, Osaka reached 122 mph (196kmh) 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 defence, such as in the final game, when she raced forward to chase down a drop shot, flicking a backhand crosscourt 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.
Hsieh said Osaka is a threat to win the championship.
‘‘She always can go all the way,’’
Hsieh said. ‘‘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 New York in September for her third grand slam championship.
The streak also includes her fourthround win last week, when she saved two match points and swept the final four games to overtake Garbine Muguruza.
Later yesterday, Aslan Karatsev became the first man to reach the semifinals in his Grand Slam debut during the professional era.
The 114th-ranked qualifier from Russia advanced to the final four a with a 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-2 win over 18thseeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria