MELBOURNE: Naomi Osaka never made it past the fourth round at any of the first 10 Grand Slam tournaments of her career. Now, still just 21, she’s suddenly on the verge of a second consecutive major championship and the No.1 ranking.
Osaka moved one victory away from adding the Australian Open trophy to the one she collected four months ago at the US Open, using her smooth power to produce 15 aces and groundstroke winners at will while beating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the semi-final on Thursday.
Osaka, the only Japanese woman to win a major singles title, who will face two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Saturday with the winner rising to the top of the WTA rankings for the first time; Osaka is currently No 4, Kvitova No.6.
Two years ago, Kvitova missed the Australian Open, just weeks after her left hand was stabbed by an intruder at her home in the Czech Republic. Back at her best during what she calls her ‘second career’, Kvitova surged to a 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 victory against 35th-ranked American Danielle Collins after Rod Laver Arena’s retractable roof was closed as the temperature soared toward 105 degrees (40 Celsius).
“I just told myself to regroup in the third set and just try as hard as I can,” said Osaka, who saved four break points in the last set against Pliskova and finished the match with an ace at 115 mph (185 kmph). “I was so scared serving second serves. I was like, ‘Oh, my God. Please!”
A day after erasing four match points and a 5-1 deficit in the third set to stun Serena Williams in the quarter-finals, Pliskova could not produce the same kind of comeback.
Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, continued his relentless roll through the men’s singles draw by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 in their semi-final tie at night. Nadal has not dropped a set as he bids for a second Australian Open title and 18th Grand Slam trophy overall.