MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) – Former champion Naomi Osaka charged into the Australian Open semi-finals after crushing Hsieh Su-wei with a 6-2 6-2 win on Tuesday.
Osaka attacked Hsieh’s weak serve with gusto and the Taiwanese giantkiller soon lost grip of the match under the pressure of her Grand Slam quarter-final debut.
Osaka had a tough time in her last Australian Open match against Hsieh in 2019, needing to come back from a set and a break down on the way to claiming the championship.
“Yeah, definitely really happy,” 23-year-old Osaka said on-court.
“Really happy with how I played today. Every time I play her it’s a real battle and, despite the score, this was again a real battle today.”
Osaka’s reward will be a semi-final against either Serena Williams or Simona Halep, the pair having a rematch of the 2019 Wimbledon final in the evening session at Rod Laver Arena.
“I always watch Serena’s matches, anyway,” said Osaka, who has never failed to win a Grand Slam after making the quarter-finals.
“Definitely going to be real fun.”
Hsieh, 35, bowed out after a stellar tournament, having become the oldest women’s player to debut in a Grand Slam quarter-final in the professional era.
