Tennis: 'Stressed' Osaka saves match points to set up all-Asian Australian Open quarter-final

Japan's Naomi Osaka (pictured) now has an all-Asian quarter-final against Taipei's Hsieh Su-wei. PHOTO: AFP

MELBOURNE (AFP) - A "very stressed" Naomi Osaka saved two match points to outlast Garbine Muguruza and set up an all-Asian quarter-final against Chinese Taipei's Hsieh Su-wei at the Australian Open on Sunday (Feb 14).

The third seed was on the verge of elimination at 3-5, 15-40 on her serve in the third set before rattling off four points in a row.

She then twice broke the serve of the two-time Grand Slam winner to prevail 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 55 minutes on an empty Rod Laver Arena, devoid of fans for a second day because of a state-wide coronavirus lockdown.

"I felt like this match I was very stressed. I think some people could see it because I wasn't really hyped," said Osaka, who hit 40 winners but made 36 unforced errors.

"I didn't really like the feeling that I was having. I was just trying to fight for every point then it sort of led me to the win."

Spaniard Muguruza had been showing the form that saw her top-ranked in 2017 and she proved a formidable challenge for Osaka, widely deemed a title favourite at Melbourne Park.

In a tense third set, Osaka failed to convert a break point in the fourth game and subsequently dropped her serve, slamming her racket down in frustration.

"When I got angry and hit my racket on the ground... I feel like I released a lot of the thoughts that I had," she said.

"It just made me go more into instinct-based tennis.

"I'm mad at myself for throwing my racket, but at the same time I feel like it unleashed the emotions and the nerves that I had."

Earlier, Serena Williams came through a physical test against Aryna Sabalenka to maintain her bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title.

The 39-year-old outlasted the big-hitting Belarusian in a three-set thriller to make the quarter-finals.

The American withstood a barrage from the seventh seed to prevail 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in two hours and nine minutes and set up a mouth-watering clash with world No. 2 Simona Halep, to whom she lost in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

The 29-year-old Romanian exacted revenge on French Open champion Iga Swiatek with a comeback three-set victory.

"I am happy to get through, I knew it was going to be tough," said Williams, who hit 30 winners.

"I lost the second set but the games were close. I just tried to stay in there."

Williams had never played Sabalenka, who has collected more trophies than anyone else since last year's French Open but never reached the quarter-finals of a Slam.

Sabalenka, who has spoken about modelling her big-hitting game on Williams, showed off her power with blistering serves and groundstrokes in the high-octane contest.

A composed Williams, watched by older sister Venus in the stands, counter-attacked superbly in the early stages and broke Sabalenka's serve in the 10th game to win the opening set.

Sabalenka, who was born four months after Williams made her Grand Slam debut in 1998, was unperturbed and stepped up her assault to dominate Williams' usually reliable serve.

A boisterous Sabalenka provided the histrionics in an empty Rod Laver Arena with fans barred until at least Thursday due to Melbourne's snap, five-day lockdown.

The 22-year-old admonished herself before drawing level by pouncing on Williams's faltering first serve, which she landed just 36 per cent of the time in the second set.

Williams regrouped and raced to a commanding 4-1 lead in the third set as a frustrated Sabalenka slammed her racquet to the ground as the match began to slip away.

Sabalenka won three straight games to get back on terms but Williams' experience saw her through as she maintained her unbeaten run since emerging from 14-day quarantine in Australia.

The seven-time Australian Open champion has been battling shoulder and Achilles niggles but moved around sharply apart from an awkward tumble in the second set.

She has lost four Grand Slam finals while chasing Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles since her last major victory at Melbourne Park in 2017 when pregnant.

Halep, who was thrashed by 19-year-old Swiatek at Roland Garros, winning just three games, turned the tide 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 50 minutes at a crowd-less Rod Laver Arena.

"I knew she would hit strong, but after the first set I tried to make her run and she started to miss," said Halep, who hit 19 winners.

"It's always tough to think about playing her," she said. "I will try to enjoy myself and I can only beat Serena if I play my best."

Halep was aggressive early, but 15th seed Swiatek showcased remarkable defensive skills, thwarting the attacks with sliding retrievals along the baseline.

The Romanian rued squandering two break points in the seventh game and she then played a loose service game to hand the initiative to an increasingly confident Swiatek, who claimed her 21st consecutive set in a Grand Slam.

Halep, whose seven-year streak in the top 10 is the longest active run among women, lifted her intensity and relentlessly hit the lines to force a ragged Swiatek into errors.

The 2018 French Open champion put the foot down to run through the second set, the first Swiatek had lost since falling to Victoria Azarenka in the third round of last year's US Open.

The Pole's confidence was dented and she lost her serve in the third set's opening game with a double fault, but fought back to level up with a break in the fourth game.

She was unable to consolidate, dropping serve to love, as Halep calmly clinched a quarter-final berth.

Halep is seeking a maiden triumph at Melbourne Park having fallen short to Caroline Wozniacki in the 2018 decider.

She was left stunned last year after a straight-sets loss to Muguruza in the semi-finals.

Japan's Osaka now has an all-Asian quarter-final against 35-year-old Hsieh, who upset 19th seed Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-2.

The 23-year-old admitted to "not looking forward" to playing the unorthodox veteran, who made history by becoming the oldest player to make a last-eight debut in the Open-era.

She was pushed to three sets by the canny Hsieh two years ago in the third round during her Australian Open title run.

"She's one of those players that if it was a video game, I would want to select her character just to play as her," Osaka said.

"My mind can't fathom the choices she makes when she's on the court. It's not fun to play, but it's really fun to watch."

Osaka, however, understood the significance of the Asian clash and the potential to inspire, having herself grown up idolising two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na of China.

"I just think it's really important for little kids to look up to someone and just strive to be where they are," she said.

"For me, I grew up really loving Li Na. She was someone that I still love and look up to. Sometimes I just revisit her post-match interviews and stuff just for a laugh."

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