DECISIVE WIN

Osaka Routs Williams in Straight Sets in Australian Open Semi-Final

The No. 3 suffered few losses on her serve, stymieing Williams’ quest for a record number of Grand Slam wins yet again.

Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, to clinch the Australian Open semi-final early Thursday morning. Osaka, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, lost few points on her serve, while Williams, the No. 10 seed, made several unforced forehand errors that punctured the rhythm of her game. Osaka also beat Williams in the 2018 U.S. Open final, and taking the championship over one of her idols brought the younger player to tears. Both Williams, 39, and Osaka, 23, have held the world No. 1 ranking. Williams has stated a goal of equaling Margaret Court’s career 24 Grand Slam titles, but she has remained just one major tournament win shy of the record since her last victory in the 2017 Australian Open and subsequent pregnancy, which included complications and a lengthy recovery. She lost the U.S. Open final five months ago to Victoria Azarenka.