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Post by Admin on Feb 14, 2021 4:04:04 GMT
So good for so long lately, Naomi Osaka was just one point from the end of her lengthy winning streak, one point from leaving the Australian Open with a loss to Garbine Muguruza.
Bleak as things looked for her late in a big-hitting matchup of Grand Slam champions and former No. 1-ranked women, Osaka never wavered, erasing two match points and grabbing the last four games to edge Muguruza 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 at Rod Laver Arena in the fourth round Sunday.
The third-seeded Osaka returns to the quarterfinals of a tournament she won in 2019 for one of her three major trophies. Osaka ran her winning streak to 18 matches -- a run that included a US Open title in September -- and put a stop to Muguruza's own fine form of late.
Heading into Sunday -- the second day of the tournament without any spectators because of a local COVID-19 lockdown -- two-time major champion Muguruza had been broken only once in this Australian Open. She had dropped a total of 10 games through three matches.
But Osaka broke her five times and won 17 games in all in a contest featuring entertaining baseline back-and-forth play and terrific serving by both on a cloudy day with the temperatures in the mid-60s.
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Post by Admin on Feb 14, 2021 22:16:05 GMT
As a smiling Serena Williams made her way to the net after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in three hard-fought sets Sunday in the fourth round of the 2021 Australian Open, 18-time major champion Chris Evert seemed in awe over what she had just seen. "Is this the next level of women's tennis?" she said on the ESPN broadcast. "Wow." Anyone who had been watching the day's action on Rod Laver Arena knew exactly what Evert meant. The first two matches of the day on center court featured some of the tournament's most thrilling moments, and the unparalleled heroics of two of the game's best in Williams and Naomi Osaka. In front of a fan-less and mostly silent stadium due to the government-mandated lockdown, the two former Australian Open champions were tested in their respective matches. 'There are just no mistakes happening': Hawk-Eye Live gains more support at Australian Open But, as Billie Jean King frequently says, "champions adjust," and Serena and Osaka both did so in a way that left little doubt about their insatiable will to win. In the first match, Osaka faced two-time Slam winner Garbine Muguruza in a meeting of two former No. 1s with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. Fresh off of a finals appearance at a lead-in tournament, Muguruza hadn't dropped a set in any of her eight matches in Melbourne and her confidence pushed Osaka to the brink. Down 5-3 in the third set and facing double-match point, Osaka won the next four points, including one with a 118 mph ace, and continued the rally en route to a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory in just under two hours.
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Post by Admin on Feb 15, 2021 5:56:08 GMT
American Jessica Pegula produced a shock win to knock out fifth seed Elina Svitolina and reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne. The world number 61 won 6-3 3-6 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena to reach the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time. The 26-year-old will face fellow American Jennifer Brady, who beat Croatia's Donna Vekic 6-1 7-5. "I feel good, everything feels pretty solid, so I'm just going take that to the next match," said Pegula. "I'm just happy that I'm competing well, hitting well, moving well." Pegula had already seen off two-time winner and 12th seed Victoria Azarenka in the opening round and reaches the last 16 without dropping a set. She earned the vital break in the first set when Svitolina double faulted and the Ukrainian went a break down in the second before fighting back to level the match.
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Post by Admin on Feb 16, 2021 5:24:21 GMT
Watch the Match Highlights from Su-Wei Hsieh vs Naomi Osaka, 02/16/2021
Naomi Osaka advanced Tuesday to a potential semifinal showdown against Serena Williams at the Australian Open.
Osaka earned her 19th victory in a row by overpowering Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2, 6-2, and will next meet the winner of the quarterfinal match Tuesday night between Williams and No. 2-seeded 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 really fun.''
Seeded third, Osaka reached 122 mph on her serve and pounded her forehand. She hit seven aces, lost only two points on her first serve and was never broken.
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How Serena Williams' 2021 Australian Open run speaks to a new chapter in her career Osaka also played excellent defense, such as in the final game, when she raced forward to chase down a drop shot, flicking a backhand cross-court 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 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.
"It makes me a bit more calm, knowing that my back was severely against the wall,'' Osaka said.
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Post by Admin on Feb 16, 2021 19:45:44 GMT
Serena Williams has sent an ominous warning to her rivals – insisting she is peaking at the right time – after her quarter-final win 6-3 6-3 over world number two Simona Halep - and added that her semi-final opponent Naomi Osaka is an inspiration on and off the court. Williams, now two victories from a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam win, last won a major in 2017, also at Melbourne Park, and will face Osaka for a place in the final. The 39-year-old hit 24 winners against Halep, but also made 33 unforced errors, with her Romanian opponent going a break up twice in the second set, and while Williams acknowledged that there was room for improvement, she added that the quarter-final was her best performance of the tournament thus far. “I was making a lot of unforced errors but I knew I had an opportunity to play better. So I just hung in there and kept going,” began Williams, who, when asked by on-court interviewer Jim Courier whether she was peaking at the right time, added:
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