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February 19, 2021

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Serena stopped: Osaka into final

As Serena Williams walked off the court after her latest so-close-yet-so-far bid for a 24th Grand Slam title ended with a loss to Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open, the 39-year-old American paused and put her hand on her chest while thousands of spectators rose to applaud.

Was this, Williams was asked at a news conference after the 3-6, 4-6 semifinal defeat, her way of saying goodbye?

鈥淚f I ever say farewell,鈥 she replied with a smile, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 tell anyone.鈥

When the next question returned the conversation to the subject of Williams鈥 many mistakes yesterday 鈥 twice as many unforced errors, 24, as winners, 12 鈥 she shook her head, teared up, said, 鈥淚鈥檓 done,鈥 and abruptly walked out of the session with reporters.

Tomorrow, at 7:30pm local time, Osaka will meet first-time Grand Slam finalist Jennifer Brady of the United States for the championship. The 22nd-seeded Brady, who is from Pennsylvania, prevailed in an epic, 18-point last game to edge No. 25 Karolina Muchova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in their semifinal.

Brady dropped to her back at the baseline after saving a trio of break points, then converting her fifth match point when Muchova sent a forehand long.

鈥淢y legs are shaking,鈥 Brady said. 鈥淢y heart is racing.鈥

She lost to Osaka in a three-set thriller in the US Open semifinals last September.

鈥淓veryone鈥檚 just really excited whenever they play their first final,鈥 Osaka noted about what awaits Brady, 鈥渂ut they鈥檙e also really nervous.鈥

Williams was hoping to get to her 34th Grand Slam final but, once again, couldn鈥檛 quite get the job done in order to add one more Grand Slam trophy to her collection of 23 and equal Margaret Court for the most in tennis history.

Osaka, who also beat Williams in the chaotic 2018 US Open final that concluded with the crowd booing and both women in tears, reached her fourth major title match and stretched her winning streak to 20 matches by claiming the last eight points.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if there鈥檚 any little kids out here today, but I was a little kid watching her play,鈥 Osaka, 23, said about Williams, 鈥渁nd just to be on the court playing against her, for me, is a dream.鈥

The No. 3-seeded Osaka鈥檚 Grand Slam collection also includes last year鈥檚 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open and she is, without a doubt, the most dangerous hardcourt player in the women鈥檚 game at the moment.

That used to be Williams, of course. But she was off-target too much in this contest.

鈥淚 could have won. I could have been up 5-Love,鈥 said Williams, who instead took a 2-0 lead at the outset before dropping the next five games. 鈥淚 just made so many errors.鈥

Her forehand, in particular, went awry, with no fewer than 10 unforced errors off that side in the first set alone.

鈥淭oo many mistakes there,鈥 she said. 鈥淓asy mistakes.鈥

Williams鈥 frustration was made plain early in the second set, when she leaned over and screamed, 鈥淢ake a shot! Make a shot!鈥

After collecting her professional era-record 23rd Slam singles trophy at Melbourne Park while pregnant in 2017, Williams has reached four major finals and lost them all.

She鈥檚 also now lost in the semifinals twice in the past three majors.

That stage hasn鈥檛 been a problem for top-ranked Novak Djokovic, who has won 14 of his last semifinals at Grand Slam events. His record is perfect in semifinals at Melbourne Park, improving to 9-0 with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win later in the day over Aslan Karatsev, a Russian qualifier who was ranked No. 114 and making his debut in a major.

Djokovic is seeking a ninth Australian Open title and 18th Grand Slam trophy overall. Karatsev was playing in his first Grand Slam tournament.

Rafael Nadal 鈥 who lost in the quarterfinals to Stefanos Tsitsipas after blowing a two-set lead 鈥 and Roger Federer are tied for the men鈥檚 record of 20.

Spectators were back in the stands yesterday after they were barred from attending the tournament for five days during a local COVID-19 lockdown. About 7,000 people were allowed into the stadium for Williams-Osaka, roughly half of capacity.

Ushers walked through the aisles at changeovers to remind fans they needed to wear a mask over their nose and mouth.

On the hottest day of the hardcourt tournament so far 鈥 the temperature topped 30 degrees Celsius 鈥 Osaka got off to a shaky start, perhaps prodded into pressing in her opening service game by a booming cross-court backhand return winner from Williams on the match鈥檚 second point.

That was followed by a double-fault, a wild forehand and, eventually, a netted backhand that handed over a break. Quickly, Williams went up 2-0, then held another break point with a chance to lead 3-0 after another double-fault by Osaka.

鈥淚 was just really, like, nervous and scared, I think, at the beginning,鈥 said Osaka, who was born in Japan and moved to the US when she was 3. 鈥淎nd then I sort of eased my way into it.鈥

Didn鈥檛 take long to right herself.

Suddenly, it was Osaka powering in aces, putting groundstrokes where she wanted, covering the court well. Williams鈥 movement has been terrific in Melbourne, but she was flat-footed this time.


 

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