Melbourne: Fourth seed Naomi Osaka outgunned Karolina Pliskova here, Thursday to set up an Australian Open women’s single final final against Czech eighth seed Petra Kvitova.
The 21-year-old Japanese star overcame the seventh seed 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to reach a second straight Grand Slam decider after her breakthrough triumph over Serena Williams at last year’s US Open.
Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, stormed past debutant Danielle Collins 7-6(7/2), 6-0 in their semifinal after the closure of the roof in searing Melbourne heat gave the Czech a boost
Osaka started strongly to take the first set as the match began with the roof of Rod Laver Arena closed amid sweltering temperatures exceeding 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 Farenheit).
But Pliskova, who ousted American great Serena with an epic comeback to make the semifinals Wednesday, roared back in the second before Osaka edged past her in the third.
“I expected it, I expected a really hard battle,” Osaka said of Pliskova’s attempt to come back from a set and a break down. “I just told myself to regroup in the third set and try as hard as I could no matter what, and I managed to win.”
Osaka also asserted that her win at Flushing Meadows helped settle her nerves against the never-say-die Czech. “I was so scared serving second serves, I was like ‘oh my God, please!’ I guess that’s experience,” added Osaka.
An added incentive for Osaka in Saturday’s final is that she will become the new World No.1, replacing Romania’s Simona Halep, if she beats Kvitova.
Kvitova meanwhile said she had proved the doubters wrong by reaching her maiden Australian Open final and the first in a Grand Slam since a knife attack derailed her career.
Reaching the final is the highlight of what Kvitova calls her ‘second career’, after she returned following a terrifying attack in her home in the Czech Republic in late 2016.
A burglar slashed her racquet hand, sidelining her for almost six months and causing permanent nerve damage. “It means everything, finally I can make it deep in this Major and whatever happens I’m very happy,” the big-serving left-hander said.
“It’s been a while. It’s been five years,” Kvitova said, referring to her last Grand Slam final. “You know, that’s why I worked pretty hard to be back here. It just tastes very great.
“To be honest, I think not very many people believed that I could do that again, to stand on the court and play tennis and kind of play on this level. It was just really few of them, I think,” she added.
Kvitova, who is on an 11-match win streak after winning the Sydney International warm-up tournament, will claim the No.1 ranking if she lifts the trophy.
Collins, who took Kvitova to three sets in their only previous meeting, initially performed strongly to force a first set tie-break.
She was matching Kvitova’s power hitting when the roof was closed mid-way through the set at 4-4 to shut out the afternoon sun.
But Collins lost her cool when Kvitova ran away with the tie-break 7-2 and argued with the umpire at the beginning of the second set.
Kvitova, vastly more experienced than her opponent, kept her composure and won the second set at a canter.
AFP