Reigning world number three, Naomi Osaka of Japan came up with a dominating performance to tame world number 11, United States of America's Serena Williams to become the first finalist of the women's singles. She beat her in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
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It was all going good for the American in the opening two games of the first set, as she already broke the Japanese in the opening game. While he almost took a double lead, it is where the comeback of Osaka began. The Japanese earned a couple of breaks through her backhand, while both the players followed it up with a series of forehands, as Osaka grabbed the lead in the opening set.
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In a payback, the Japanese earned the first break of the second set in the opening game itself. As she took a 4-2 lead, a series of double faults allowed the American to break back. Nonetheless, Osaka knew precisely what do so, as she fired in a series of ferocious winners, both through the backhand and forehand, while Serena struggled with her fast movements.
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As Osaka sealed the match, she has qualified for her second AO final, having won the first title here in 2019. She would now face a first-time finalist, either of world number 24 Jennifer Brady of the USA or world number 27, Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova.
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