MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The brute force of Naomi Osaka crushed the artistry of Hsieh Su-wei as the Japanese former champion charged into the Australian Open semi-finals with a 6-2 6-2 win on Tuesday.
On a warm and muggy day at Rod Laver Arena, third seed Osaka attacked Hsieh’s weak serve with gusto and the Taiwanese giantkiller quickly wilted under the pressure of her Grand Slam quarter-final debut.
Osaka scrambled superbly to chase down the improbable angles conjured by her opponent’s double-handed, double-sided game, and she raced through the final set, sealing the win on the third match point when an overwhelmed Hsieh pushed a defensive shot long.
Osaka, the 2019 champion, will meet the winner of Serena Williams and Simona Halep for a place in the final.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
