Naomi Osaka, 3e world, qualified, Thursday, February 18, for her second final of the Australian Open by being too strong for Serena Williams (11e) that she beat 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and a quarter.
For a second title in Melbourne, the fourth in the Grand Slam, the 23-year-old Japanese will face Saturday in the final the winner of the second half between the Czech Karolina Muchova (27e), who eliminated world number one Ashleigh Barty in the quarterfinals, to American Jennifer Brady (24e, 25 years).
Five games in a row
“I made a lot of mistakes in the first few games, I was nervous and scared at the start, then I relaxed. The most important thing for me is to have fun ”, commented the Japanese who won the title in Melbourne in 2019.
“It’s always an honor for me to play against her, and I didn’t want it to go too badly, so I did my best”, she added. Osaka beat Williams in the 2018 US Open final to claim his first Grand Slam title.
Led 2-0 and ball 3-0 in the first set, the world number 3 regained her spirits, found her game and chained 5 games in a row, taking the service twice from Williams, to break away 5-2 and conclude on his service at his earliest opportunity, with authority and power. She immediately took control of the second set by making the entry break.
But, she who had never been endangered on her throw-in from the fifth game of the first set until the eighth of the second, completely missed her service game at 4-3, with three double faults at the key, allowing Serena Williams to come back to 4-4.
Osaka, however, resumed his opponent’s throw-in in stride and served for the match. Having once again become imperial in its service, it imposed itself without contest.
” It’s a dream for me “
“When I was a little girl, I watched her play, and just being on the court against her is a dream for me”, confessed Osaka, delighted with the return of the public after five days in camera.
In either case, it will be an opponent who will discover the atmosphere of a Major final. “I don’t want to wish anyone to be nervous, but it is possible that my opponent is” Saturday, agreed the Japanese.
For its part, Osaka has won all the Grand Slam tournaments where it reached the quarter-finals (US Open 2018 and 2020, and Australian Open 2019).
