World number three Naomi Osaka has stormed past Hsieh Su-wei in straight sets to book an Australian Open semi-final against either Serena Williams or Simona Halep.
After achieving this feat, Osaka warned Tuesday that she’s feeling confident and “at ease”
he Japanese three-time Grand Slam champion overcame the Taiwanese world number 71’s unorthodox style 6-2, 6-2 in an all-Asian quarter-final at a crowd-less Rod Laver Arena.
Osaka hit 24 winners in a dominant display lasting just 66 minutes against her 35-year-old opponent, who made history by becoming the oldest woman in the Open era to debut in the quarter-finals of a Slam.
Osaka has also expressed her feelings through comments. She said, “I think my confidence was raised after I played Muguruza the other day just because she’s such a quality opponent, and my back was against the wall,” Osaka said about coming back from 3-5 and 15-40 on her serve in the third set.
“I’m at ease with how my game is right now.
“I felt like today I told myself just to be really intense from the beginning.
– ‘I didn’t want three sets’ –
“I felt like I knew what to expect and that I couldn’t afford to be lazy with my footwork or anything.
“I didn’t want to play three sets today.”
