Serena Williams to face Osaka in Australian Open semis after ousting Halep

Naomi Osaka ends Hsieh Su-wei’s run at Melbourne Park
Williams on Osaka: ‘She’s a great competitor and she’s a cool cat’

Serena Williams produced a performance of the highest quality to return to the Australian Open semi-final for the first time since her last grand slam triumph there in 2017, outplaying second seed Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3. She will next face Naomi Osaka in Thursday’s semi-final.

A year and a half since Halep played the match of her life on her worst surface to eviscerate Williams with the loss of just four games in the 2019 Wimbledon final, a first sign that this would not quite play out in the same manner came early on. In the first point of Halep’s opening service game, she could only watch helplessly as her 130kmh second serve exploded back across the net in the form of a 154kmh Williams forehand crosscourt return winner.