Australian Open day nine: Serena Williams goes to summer of 1926 and Naomi Osaka’s less than purrfect cat
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka will face off in a blockbuster Australian Open semi-final after both impressed on Tuesday.
Williams gained revenge for her 2019 Wimbledon final defeat by beating Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 while Osaka was a 6-2, 6-2 winner against the tricky Hsieh Su-wei.
Novak Djokovic battled to a 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) victory over Alexander Zverev and next faces remarkable qualifier Aslan Karatsev, who took full advantage of Grigor Dimitrov being hampered by a back spasm.
Picture of the day
Stat of the day
.@naomiosaka has gone on to win the title each time she has reached the quarterfinals of a major! 👏
She defeats Hsieh, 6-2, 6-2.#AO2021pic.twitter.com/qB1c5z27oe
— wta (@WTA) February 16, 2021
Quote of the day
Dimitrov after his unfortunate retirement
It’s been a while
Reporter ✍️: “When was the last time you felt those rallies belonged to you”@serenawilliams 👑: “The summer of 1926 was the last time I felt that….” 😂🤣#AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/MZnRkfct1G
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 16, 2021
Don’t give up the day job
The most stressful moment of Osaka’s day came when she decided to show her artistic side when signing the camera lens. It did not quite go to plan.
“I wasn’t going to do anything but I saw everyone else writing cool things,” she said. “I was like, ‘This is my chance to hopefully draw something cute’. Then it turned out ugly. And you can’t even tell what it is. So, yeah, it’s a cat.”
Fallen seeds
Women: Simona Halep (2)
Men: Alexander Zverev (6), Grigor Dimitrov (18)
Who’s up next?
Rafael Nadal, who has yet to drop a set, faces his biggest test so far against fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Russian friends Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev face each other while Ashleigh Barty plays Karolina Muchova and Jennifer Brady meets Jessica Pegula in the women’s last eight.
In the men’s doubles, British duo Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury are both in action with their respective partners, while wheelchair star Alfie Hewett goes for his first Australian Open singles title.
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