Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams engaged in a blockbuster semifinal at the current Australian Open that ended with Naomi winning in straight sets. The Japanese sensation played a remarkable match and after being 0-2 down in the opening set, she didn’t left much to Serena. The final result was a straightforward 6-3 6-4.
Unfortunately, the American legend looked extremely distraught after losing the match. She stopped on court to say thank you to the crowd and later she had to stop the press conference as she burst into tears. Later she sent a heartfelt message to her huge fan base in Australia, thanking for the support. Unfortunately, everything pointed out that that was most likely the last match that the 23-slam champion played in Melbourne.
Michelle Obama, Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams
Serena received huge support from her fans, family and close friends. Probably one of the nicest statements about her greatness came from Michelle Obama. She wrote a long post about the example set by Serena Williams and her satisfaction in seeing Naomi Osaka and the new generation taking care of Williams’ example.
This was Michelle’s post:
“I’ve always admired the honesty that Serena Williams brings to everything she does. Whether on or off the court, she carries herself with the kind of authenticity you can only tap into if you know exactly who you are and what you deserve.
It’s clear this next generation of tennis stars, including the sensational Naomi Osaka, have taken that example to heart. What a joy to see these two powerful women compete on such a grand stage yesterday. And while I know the outcome wasn’t what Serena Williams was hoping for, I just want to say I appreciate her unwavering grace through it all.
Our journeys are never a straight line, and I look forward to watching both Naomi Osaka’s and Serena Williams’ continue to unfold.”
Osaka at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2021
Currently ranked no.3, the Japanese owns a compiled 9-0 record in 2021. Naomi is now having a run at the Australian Open where she ousted Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-2, Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-3, Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-2, Garbine Muguruza 4-6 6-4 7-5, Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2 6-2 and Serena Williams 6-3 6-4.
Naomi Osaka will face Brady in the final. Their current head to head is 2-1 for Osaka.
The Japanese won 6 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Serena Williams in 2021
At the moment ranked no.11, Serena Williams played her last match on the 18th of February when she lost to Naomi Osaka 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal of the Australian Open (draw).
This season Serena Williams achieved an overall 8-1 match record. Serena Williams’s most significant result of this year was reaching the semifinal in Melbourne and at the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams fought against each other 4 times. Their actual head to head record is 3-1 for Osaka. Previously, the last time when they fought against each other, Naomi Osaka won 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 18th of February 2021.
Here the video highlights.
