By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Naomi Osaka took on one of the most veteran players – 35-year-old Hsieh Su-wei – and she won.
During their highly-anticipated 2021 Australian Open quarterfinals duel, Osaka crushed Hsieh in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
Osaka outplayed Hsieh in the baseline with forehand setup shots and an open mid-court smash.
However, it was Hsieh who was actually dictating the pace early on after firing various offensive shots that would stumble Osaka in the early part of the showdown.
As soon as Osaka got one from the baseline, she played on that momentum to eventually beat Hsieh in both sets with identical scores.
“Really happy with how I played today. Every time I play her it’s a real battle and, despite the score, this was again a real battle today,” said Osaka.
Osaka’s terrific run to the semifinals will be tested bigtime against world greats Simona Halep or Serena Williams who will vie for the semis spot.
“I always watch Serena’s matches, anyway. Definitely going to be real fun,” added the Japanese tennis sensation.
