Australian Open: Naomi Osaka Ends Serena Williams’ Latest Bid For a Record-equaling 24th Grand Slam.

Naomi Osaka ends Serena Williams’ bid for 24th Grand Slam title to get to the Australian Open’s final. The  Japanese third seed will play American 22nd seed Jennifer Brady for the title on Saturday. Osaka, who won the US Open last year, is now on course to make it back to back Grand Slam titles as she overcame a timid start to end a hugely impressive 6-3 6-4 win over Serena Williams to make it 20 wins in a row. Simultaneously, Jennifer Brady withstood late drama to defeat Karolina Muchova and reach her first major final. It was another setback for Williams as she once again came up short in her 10th attempt to move level with Margaret Court’s haul of notable titles. Osaka, whose last defeat came on February 7, 2020, said on the court: “I was nervous and scared in the beginning, but I eased my way into it.

Williams had an impressive start; the American had won all her previous eight semi-finals at Melbourne Park, had not lost to a top-three player at a Grand Slam since 2007, and had beaten Osaka in their last two meetings to gain a measure of revenge for her cruel defeat in the 2018 US Open final.
Perhaps mindful of that, Osaka looked uncharacteristically tight at first in front of a limited crowd, allowed back in after Victoria’s five-day coronavirus lockdown was lifted.