Australian Open 2021: Serena Williams tightens No. 2 Simona Halep and sets up a rematch with Naomi Osaka in the semis

Serena Williams certainly didn’t have a perfect start to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Tuesday. Simona Halep found herself trailing 3-1 in the opening set with No. 2. Then the American tennis star changed his fortune. Williams, No. 10, won the last five games of the opening set and responded with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Halep to win the quarterfinals.

This is Williams ’first time reaching the Australian Open semi-finals since 2017, when he won the championship.

“I realized I was making a lot of unforced mistakes in those losing games. And I knew I had a chance to play better,” Williams said. According to the Associated Press. “So I was like,‘ Stay there. You can continue. “And that’s what I just did.”

Now Williams appeared ready for the semifinal match against No. 3 Naomi Osaka on Thursday. Osaka advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Hsieh Su-wei 6-2, 6-2.

Williams and Osaka certainly know each other.

Osaka will win 19 matches in the semi-finals and this will be the fourth time the two tennis stars will face each other. Of course, the highlight of Osaka came in the 2018 U.S. Open final when he defeated Williams.

Williams has gone 0-4 in the Grand Slam finals since winning the 2017 Australian Open. One of those losses came against Osaka and another against Halep in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

Williams is likely to win among the top three players this year if he wants to win the Australian Open. Even if Williams beats Osaka, No. 1 Ashleigh Barty will be waiting for her if she wins the semifinal match against No. 25 Karolina Muchova in the final.