Naomi Osaka cruises into Australian Open semi-finals
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Third seed ends Hsieh Su-wei’s run with a 6-2, 6-2 win.
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Osaka will next meet either Serena Williams or Simona Halep.
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Qualifier Aslan Karatsev stuns Grigor Dimitrov to reach semi-finals
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World No. 114 Karatsev got off to a slow start against 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov, but rallied for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win against the physically ailing Bulgarian after two hours and 32 minutes.
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Aslan Karatsev made history on Tuesday at the Australian Open, becoming the first man in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals on his Grand Slam debut.
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The 27-year-old is the fifth qualifier to reach the semi-finals of a major in the Open Era. Karatsev is just the second man to accomplish the feat Down Under, joining Bob Giltinan, who did so in 1977.
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Qualifiers To Reach Grand Slam Semi-finals (Open Era)
| Player | Tournament |
|---|---|
| John McEnroe | 1977 Wimbledon |
| Bob Giltinan | 1977 Australian Open |
| Filip Dewulf | 1997 Roland Garros |
| Vladimir Voltchkov | 2000 Wimbledon |
| Aslan Karatsev | 2021 Australian Open] |
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Serena Williams beats Simona Halep & will face Osaka in semi-final
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The 39-year-old American, bidding for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, won 6-3 6-3 against the second seed Simona Halep
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Now Osaka will face Williams - a seven-time champion in Melbourne - on Thursday for a place in Saturday’s final.
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It will the first meeting between the pair since their infamous 2018 US Open final. That saw Osaka win her maiden major title after Williams accused umpire Carlos Ramos of being a “thief” in some of the most dramatic scenes at a Grand Slam final.
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Djokovic edges out Alexander Zverev to reach semi-final
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Reigning champion Novak Djokovic overcame some dips in form to beat Alexander Zverev 6-7(6) 6-2 6-4 7-6(6).
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He will next face Aslan Karatsev in the last four.
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Medvedev Magnificent Against Rublev, Reaches Australian Open SFs
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Medvedev battled past Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last four Down Under for the first time.
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The fourth seed, who will next play second seed Rafael Nadal or fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, has won 19 consecutive matches dating back to the start of last year’s Rolex Paris Masters.
Most Grand Slam SFs - Russian Men (Open Era)
| Player | # of SFs Reached |
|---|---|
| 1) Marat Safin | 7 |
| 2) Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 6 |
| 3) Nikolay Davydenko | 4 |
| T4) Daniil Medvedev | 3 |
| T4) Alex Metreveli | 3 |
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Ash Barty stunned by Karolína Muchová
- Czech player upsets world No 1 and top seed 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
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Muchová bounces back after medical timeout in second set
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Muchova will now play either Jennifer Brady for a place in the Australian Open final
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Jennifer Brady wins All-American clash to reach semi-finals
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America’s Jennifer Brady is into the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over unseeded compatriot Jessica Pegula.
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Brady will face Karolina Muchova, who stunned world number one Ash Barty earlier in the day in three sets, in the semis.
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With Serena Williams to face Naomi Osaka in the other semi-final, the Australian Open could have another all-American title match on Saturday.
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Tsitsipas storms back to stun Nadal in Australian Open thriller!
- Fifth seed Tsitsipas battles back from two sets down in epic quarter-final- beats Nadal 3-6 2-6 7-6 6-4 7-5 to reach the semis!
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Tsitsipas’ win puts the 22-year-old into his third grand slam semi final and second straight after his run at last year’s postponed French Open.
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The loss for Nadal leaves him locked with Roger Federer on 20 grand slam singles titles and he’ll have to wait another year to try become the first male in the Open Era to win each major at least twice.
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CROWDS TO RETURN FOR AUS OPEN SEMIS
Crowds will return to the Australian Open on Thursday, with approximately 50 per cent capacity being allowed back as Victoria’s snap five-day lockdown draws to a close.
Last week, play was halted at 11:30PM during Novak Djokovic’s five-set battle with Taylor Fritz, with spectators ordered to leave Melbourne Park to get home before lockdown began at 11:59PM.
Just over 7,000 people will be allowed each day and night session, around half of the venue’s full capacity.
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Men’s Singles Semi-Final - Feb 18-19
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Djokovic is looking to continue his dominance Down Under and advance to another finals in Melbourne, where he is 8-0 in his career.
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Karatsev hopes to continue his unlikely run through the draw in his first ever grand slam tournament.
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The winner will meet the winner of the other semifinal between Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas for the title.
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Djokovic vs Karatsev - 18th Feb 2:00 PM IST
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Medvedev vs Tsitsipas - 19th Feb 2:00 PM IST
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Osaka downs Williams to reach final
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Naomi Osaka extinguishes Williams’s blaze through the Australian Open, handing her a 6-3, 6-4 defeat.
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Williams, 39, could not keep pace with Osaka, 23, a three-time Grand Slam champion who has a streak of 20 match victories.
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For the second time in two consecutive hardcourt Grand Slam events, Serena Williams’s pursuit of Margaret Court’s record of 24 major singles titles ended in the semifinals at the hands of a former world No. 1.
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Jennifer Brady defies lockdown and Muchová to reach AO final
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American 22nd seed wins 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in front of a Melbourne Park crowd
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Brady to meet Osaka in final – her maiden grand slam decider
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Novak Djokovic beats Aslan Karatsev in AO men’s semi-final
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Djokovic beats Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to reach his ninth final in Melbourne.
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Djokovic will now look to extend his eight match unbeaten record in 2021 when he plays fourth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev or fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in Sunday’s title match. Djokovic leads Medvedev 4-3 in their ATP Head2Head series and Tsitsipas 4-2.
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After Nadal’s loss to Tsitsipas in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, Djokovic is guaranteed to remain as World No. 1 through at least 8 March, when he will overtake Federer to set a new record of 311 total weeks at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.
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Tearful Serena Williams cuts short news conference
Serena Williams broke down in tears and cut short her post-match press conference after another failed bid to equal Margaret Court’s record Grand Slam haul, calling her defeat to Naomi Osaka “a big error day”.
“The difference today was errors. I made so many errors,” said the 23-time Grand Slam champion. “Honestly, it was opportunities where I could have won. I could have been up 5-0. It was a big error day for me.”
Pressed on what caused her to make so many mistakes, tears began to flow as she told reporters: “I don’t know. I’m done,” before walking out.
The American’s quest to reach a 9th Australian Open final and match Court’s 24 major singles titles ended in a 6-3, 6-4 semifinal defeat by the Japanese 3rd seed.
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Medvedev Beats Tsitsipas to Enter Final
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Daniil Medvedev beats Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets (6-4, 6-2, 7-5) to enter his first Australian Open final.
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Across his 20-match winning streak, Medvedev has defeated 12 Top 10 players. The Russian’s most recent loss against a Top 10 opponent came at last year’s US Open, when he fell to eventual champion Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals.
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He will now face eight-time winner Novak Djokovic in the final.
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With his sixth win in seven ATP Head2Head clashes against Tsitsipas, Medvedev joins 2005 champion Marat Safin and 1999 titlist Yevgeny Kafelnikov as only the third Russian man to reach multiple Grand Slam finals.
Russian Men In Grand Slam Finals (All-Time)
Rank | Player | Grand Slam Finals
1 | Marat Safin | 4
2 | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 3
3 | Daniil Medvedev | 2
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AO Women’s Final: Naomi Osaka Vs Jennifer Brady
World no#3 Naomi Osaka faces Jennifer Brady in Melbourne today at 2:00pm IST.
23yr old Osaka has won three Grand Slam titles and never lost a major final. Osaka, whose major wins have come at the 2018 US Open, 2019 Australian Open and 2020 US Open, goes into the match as the heavy favourite against 25-year-old Brady.
Brady, seeded 22th, is in her first Slam final and looking to avenge defeat by Osaka in the US Open semi-finals.
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Osaka holds a 20-match winning streak which goes back to early February last year. She has yet to lose a Grand Slam match after reaching the quarter-final stage.
Brady’s path to a maiden Grand Slam final has been unusual compared to most of her peers, having played in the American collegiate system before a relatively late progression to the WTA Tour.
She won her first tour title in Lexington shortly before the US Open.
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Naomi Osaka AO 2021 Women’s Singles Champion
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Osaka beats Jennifer Brady to win second Australian Open title
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Naomi dominated the game with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-3 win over Jennifer Brady in the summit clash.
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The World No.3 has now won two Australian Open titles and four overall grand slams.
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