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MELBOURNE, Australia – Once again, Serena Williams was within reach of a record 24 individual Grand Slam titles, playing well enough to reach the final days of a major tournament.
And once again, Williams couldn’t quite do it: defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Naomi Osaka in the semifinals of the Australian Open on Thursday.
Osaka, who also beat Williams in the chaotic final of the 2018 US Open, reached his fourth major title match and extended his winning streak to 20 matches.
Osaka, the No. 3 seed, also won the US Open last year, along with the Australian Open in 2019.
On Saturday at 7:30 pm local time (3:30 am EST), Osaka will face a Grand Slam finalist for the first time for the championship. No. 22 Jennifer Brady of the United States was scheduled to face No. 25 Karolina Muchova in the second semifinal on Thursday.
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A men’s semi-final was on Thursday’s schedule: No. 1 Novak Djokovic versus Aslan Karatsev, a 114th-place qualifier from Russia playing in his first Grand Slam tournament.
Djokovic is seeking a ninth Australian Open title and an 18th Grand Slam trophy overall.
Rafael Nadal, who lost in the quarter-finals to Stefanos Tsitsipas after losing a two-set lead, and Roger Federer are tied for the men’s record of 20.
Spectators returned to the stands at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday after they were banned from the tournament for five days during a local COVID-19 lockdown. About 7,000 people were allowed into the Williams-Osaka stadium, about half the capacity.
The ushers walked the aisles at the changes to remind fans to wear a mask or cover their nose and mouth.
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On the hottest day of the hard-court tournament yet, 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), Osaka got off to a shaky start, perhaps pushed into pressuring her opening service game by a Williams cross backhand win in second. match point.
That was followed by a double fault, a wild forehand, and finally a break at the net. Quickly, Williams went up 2-0, then held another break point with a chance to lead 3-0 after another double fault from Osaka.
However, Osaka was quick to straighten up.
