MELBOURNE, Australia — “I had a lot of fun today,” said Naomi Osaka (JPN), who cruised to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina in a little over an hour. Osaka appeared composed and relaxed in her first quarterfinal Australian Open appearance after needing back-to-back come-from-behind victories in her previous two matches.
“For me today, I just had one goal, and it was to try as hard as I can and not get angry,” said Osaka Didn’t do that too well in the last two rounds, so I’m really happy.”
After five-straight service holds to begin the match, Osaka was finally able to crack Svitolina’s serve. However, Svitolina, who was hoping to reach her first major semifinal, broke back immediately as the pair traded five-consecutive breaks to end the first set.
Osaka put a stop to the service breaks to open the second set and never looked back. The 21-year-old fired 31 winners and eight aces to advance to the semifinals in dominating fashion. She is the first Japanese player on the women’s side to advance to the Australian Open last four since Kimiko Date in 1994.
With her win today, Osaka has won 58-straight matches after winning the first set. She will play [7] Karolína Plíšková, who spoiled a US Open Finals rematch after defeating Serena Williams, for a spot in her second-straight Grand Slam final on Thursday.
#TeamYonex in Melbourne
[4] Naomi Osaka (JPN) - EZONE 98 / POLYTOUR STRIKE 125 def. [6] Elina Svitolina (UKR), 6-4, 6-1