In the middle of the first set, sensing her peril, Serena Williams bent at the waist and screamed to herself.
“Make a shot,” she yelled. “Make a shot.”
If only it was that easy. Unlike most of her matches during her legendary, two-decade-plus career, the Australian Open semifinals wasn’t so much about what Serena could do, but what her opponent could do … only better.
Williams’ latest quest for her 24th Grand Slam championship ran into the buzzsaw known as Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open semifinals. The 23-year-old who grew up idolizing Williams showed she’s the far superior player right now, shaking off early nerves to win in straight sets 6-3, 6-4.