The Australian Open is winding down, and two of the best players in the world will face off in the semifinals. Serena Williams will take on Naomi Osaka, and it will be the fourth time the two will battle on the tennis court. The match will take place Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.
Williams, who hasn't won a grand slam title since 2017, knew she was going to be asked about Osaka after winning her quarterfinal match against Simona Halep. Tennis fans remember when Williams and Osaka battled at the US Open finals in 2018 which turned into chaos. Osaka won the match, but fans were booing towards the end of the contest due to Williams receiving three code violations.
SERENA VS. NAOMI
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are set to face each other in the Australian Open semifinal
The 2018 US Open Women's Singles final was the championship tennis match of the Women's Singles tournament at the 2018 US Open.It was contested between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, seeded 17th and 20th respectively.Osaka defeated Williams in straight sets, 6–2, 6–4, in one hour and 19 minutes. The match was historically significant for both players. From the day the names were placed on the lines of this year’s draw, fans have been eagerly anticipating this 30th career matchup between the Williams sister. Williams faces Simona Halep on Tuesday (3 a.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN App) in the 2021 Australian Open quarterfinals, and while she's 9-2 all time against Halep and 6-0 on hard courts, she's only 1-1.
Must-watch TV 🍿 pic.twitter.com/IXJ4d9dOfY
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2021Williams said she is inspired by Osaka for what she has done on and off the court. She also said: 'I've been watching her and I'm sure she's been watching me, and I feel like this is such a good opportunity for me to keep doing my best.' Both athletes are hungry for another title. For Williams, she is seeking her 24th championship, which would tie her for the most all-time. Since returning after giving birth in 2018, Williams has played in four finals, including the 2018 US Open.
'I always watch Serena's matches anyways.'
Same, @naomiosaka 🙃#AusOpen | #AO2021pic.twitter.com/1mY9xDnuIz
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 16, 2021Osaka is looking to win her fourth title in her short career. Her last win came in September 2020, which was the US Open, and if she wins the Australian Open, she would have the third most grand slam titles on tour behind active players - trailing just Williams and Serena's sister Venus who has seven.
'I always watch Serena's matches anyways,' Osaka told reporters after winning her quarterfinal match on Tuesday. 'Normally I never look at my draw, but everyone's told me about my draw here so I kind of had no choice but to know who my next opponent is. But [it's] definitely going to be really fun.' Osaka won the Australian Open in 2019 and also won the US Open twice (2018, 2020). Williams has won every grand slam championship at least three times.
Serena Williams Vs Venus Williams Us Open 2018
Veteran tennis star Venus Williams has opened up on the incredible doubles record that she holds with her younger sister and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.
The pair has a career haul of 14 Grand Slam titles, which is the highest in women’s tennis. What’s more, they have never been beaten in a Grand Slam final.
Venus was reminded by a reporter that she hadn’t lost a Grand Slam doubles final with Serena
Serena Williams Vs Venus Williams Us Open 2018 Tennis Youtube
While the world knows about this remarkable record and career milestone, Venus, in her latest Instagram post, has revealed that she wasn’t aware of it till the pair reached and won their 14th career doubles title at Wimbledon.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion shared an image of the siblings with their first Grand Slam trophy at the 1999 French Open on her Instagram page and tagged it with a long message.
“I didn’t even realize this until right before our 14th final at Wimbledon and a reporter mentioned that we had never lost a Grand Slam final,” Venus wrote.
The 40-year-old said that to the reporter’s comment, she responded with “Ok, no pressure”.
Venus Williams recalls how she lost focus in maiden Grand Slam final with Serena Williams at 1999 French Open
The match in question against the pair of former Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova saw the siblings come out on the winning side of an intense, nerve-wracking contest.
Venus and Serena took the opening set comfortably at 6-3 but dropped the next which went to a tie-breaker.
However, the pair then rallied back to quell the spirited challenge by the rival pair and lift their maiden doubles Grand Slam, winning 6-3, 6-7, 8-6.
Serena Williams Vs Venus Williams Us Open 2018
Us Open Serena Williams Schedule
Sharing her thoughts on the final, Venus said that from a position where the pair was sitting pretty with a set to the good and leading 5-3 in the second, “hubris” got the better of her.
“I got overconfident and didn’t focus on winning each and every point. I figured the title was ours,” the American said, adding that she couldn’t have been further from the truth as they conceded the second set and lost momentum.
Venus And Serena Williams
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She recalled becoming “the exact opposite of confident” in the deciding set and it wasn’t until the latter stages of it that she regained focus and closed the final in their favor.