Serena Williams' Dreams of Aus Open Win Smashed, Osaka Heads to Final

Serena Williams' Dreams of Aus Open Win Smashed, Osaka Heads to Final

- Tennis star Serena Williams will not be heading to Australian Open final after being defeated by Naomi Osaka

- Osaka has been dominating the sport and beat Williams 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday, 18 February

- Williams will have to wait a while before she can bag her 24th Grand Slam title

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Tennis legend Serena Williams has been knocked out of the Australian Open, missing the opportunity to bag her 24th Grand Slam singles title. Williams faced Japan's Naomi Osaka in the semi-finals.

The former world number one, defeated Williams 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday, 18 February. Williams would've possibly reached Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles titles had her blaze not been extinguished by Osaka.

23-year-old Osaka is set to face the winner of the match between the United States' Jennifer Brady and Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova in the final.

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Serena Williams dreams of Aus Open win smashed, Osaka heads to final
Serena Williams will not be heading to the Australian Open final after facing defeat at the hands of Naomi Osaka. Image: BRENTON EDWARDS/AFP
Source: Getty Images

NY Times reported that Osaka is a three time Grand Slam singles title winner with a streak of 20 match victories. 39-year-old Williams' top form was no match for the young star's agility and speed at the jaw clenching semi-final.

News24 reported that since winning her 23rd Grand Slam title while pregnant, Williams has lost four Grand Slam titles. The final of the Aus Open women's singles will take place on Saturday, 20 February.

Read some of the fan responses to Williams' loss and Osaka's win below:

@ellmontoya said:

"Love that she (Osaka) bowed her head in respect of her idol."

@Mona_6546 wrote:

"Respect to both. Definitely new talent will emerge just like Serena did emerge. Congrats Osaka."

@Looktrades tweeted:

"Adios Williams, enjoy your retirement. Osaka mopped the floor with Williams."

Briefly.co.za previously reported on Williams after she defeated Romania's Simona Halep at the Aus Open quarter-final. Williams came through with a big win after beating Romania's Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-final of the Aus Open on Tuesday, 16 February in the Rod Laver Arena.

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Serena Williams set to face Osaka after smashing Aus Open quarterfinal

The Telegraph reported, at the time, that Williams spoke about her upcoming match against Osaka, saying that she is a strong player on the court and an inspirational person off the court. It'll be the first time Williams and Osaka will meet since the 2019 Canadian Open, reports the BBC.

#AusOpen trended on Twitter as peeps congratulated Williams on her win. Read some of the responses below:

@SebastianChaseW said:

"She hit that backhand return crosscourt and set up for that hand I screamed: 'HIT IT! Her forehand was en fuego! #AusOpen"

@JeffreeGarcon wrote:

"I can never watch quarter and semifinals when she plays, I’m so glad this Halep match is done, but I’m definitely gonna be Pinot Grigio’d up for the Williams/Osaka match."

@Aminathatgirl tweeted:

"Look at her she is so amazing."

@serenapower_ shared:

"UNSTOPPABLE QUEEN. Yaaasss. Seven-time champion Serena Williams knocks out No. 2-seed Simona Halep 6-3 6-3 to reach her 9th #AusOpen semifinals‼️"

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Source: Briefly News

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