Arthur Greene
After knocking out Simona Halep, Serena Williams has set up a sensational semifinal against Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open tennis championship.
There is little doubt that Williams, 39, is back to her formidable best as she saw off the Romanian, winning 6-3 6-3 on Tuesday.
Later that evening, Japan’s Osaka, 23, confirmed that she had been watching the match from her hotel room, though not necessarily to see who she would be facing in the semis.
“I always watch Serena play,” Osaka said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Osaka cruised past Hsieh Su-wei in just 66 minutes to reach the last four, after beating the Taiwanese player 6-2 6-2.
Osaka and Williams will now face off on Thursday, the first meeting between the pair since their infamous 2018 US Open final.
Then, Osaka emerged as the victor, claiming her maiden major title, while Williams accused the umpire of the match, Carlos Ramos, of being a “thief”.
In some of the most dramatic scenes at a Grand Slam Final in history, Williams then accused Ramos of sexism after he docked her a game, saying “He’s never taken a game from a man because they said ‘thief’.”
Significantly, however, both Williams and Osaka demonstrated wonderful sportsmanship at the end of the match, with the former congratulating the winner when the two met at the net.
On Thursday, Osaka will be playing a much fiercer opponent than the one she beat in straight sets in 2018, however.
Williams looks fitter and more focused than she has in recent years, and the match seems certain to be a much closer affair than it was three years ago.
Picture source: @YOMZANSI
