Tennis news - Naomi Osaka blows away Elina Svitolina to reach Melbourne semis

ByMichael Hincks

Updated 23/01/2019 at 07:49 GMT

Naomi Osaka produced a supreme performance in her hunt for back-to-back Grand Slam titles as she reached the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time with a straight-sets victory over sixth seed Elina Svitolina.

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The US Open champion won 6-4 6-1 to become the first Japanese woman to reach the last four in Melbourne since Kimiko Date in 1994.

Highlights: Osaka powers into semis

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The fourth seed will face Karolina Pliskova for a place in the final after the Czech overcame Serena Williams, whom Osaka famously beat in the final at Flushing Meadows four months ago.

"I know that it's going to be tough no matter who I play, and honestly I'm just trying to go inside because it's little bit hot right now. Sorry," said Osaka, as the crowd burst into laughter.

Osaka: I am just trying to go inside because it is a little bit hot

Meanwhile, for Svitolina it is another Grand Slam disappointment, with the 24-year-old – who won the season-ending WTA Finals in October – yet to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament.

Svitolina led the head to head 3-2 going into Wednesday’s quarter-final, having won both of their 2018 encounters in straight sets, but the pair looked evenly matched as they got under way on the Rod Laver Arena.

Osaka wrestled the initiative with a break in the sixth game of the first set, but Svitolina hit back immediately to bring it back on serve.

Osaka sends a wild forehand volley long

A third-straight break saw Osaka then serving for the set, but the 21-year-old squandered a 30-0 lead as Svitolina hit back again to make it 5-4.

Osaka bounced back from that disappointment to bring up three set points on the Svitolina serve, and though she tightened up once more in producing three errors, she converted her fourth opportunity when Svitlolina sent a backhand into the net.

A remarkable statistic showed Osaka had won 57 straight matches after taking the first set, and she stole ahead straight away in the second set as two Svotilina double faults and a fortunate net cord saw her to break for the fourth game in a row.

Trailing 3-0, a downbeat Svitolina called for a medical time out due to a neck problem, and she continued to struggle on serve afterwards as Osaka broke again for 4-0, before it was swiftly wrapped up at 6-1.

"I felt pain from the beginning of the tournament here and there. It was going and coming back," Svitolina said.

"Unfortunately today was a little bit worse than I expected.

"It's normal to have some tension during the Grand Slam and it happens, but unfortunately I couldn't handle it today."

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