Naomi Osaka will contest her first semifinal since last year’s Australian Open after keeping at bay late-surging former world No.10 Andrea Petkovic at Rod Laver Arena on Friday night.
It was all business from the Melbourne Summer Set 1’s top seed as her formidable depth and weight of shot reeled in the German’s second-set charge, 6-1 7-5.
Earlier, Simona Halep was put through her paces before emerging triumphant from a gruelling tussle with Viktoria Golubic in the first serious test of her Australian Open preparations.
Rafael Nadal advanced without striking a ball, while Grigor Dimitrov did it the hard way, surging back from two match points down to deny Botic van de Zandschulp.
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Osaka set the tone with three aces in the opening game and clocked 38 winners through the 75-minute affair to secure a clash against No.3 seed Veronika Kudermetova, a 6-2 4-6 6-0 winner over compatriot Anastasia Potapova.
“For me I just thought like this is the reason I came and played this tournament, to get myself in challenging situations,” Osaka said. “I felt like I learned from her while I was playing the match.
“It was really cool how she didn't give up for any point, so I just felt like I should do the same thing and see what happens.”
While the pair had split two prior meetings, the German claimed the honours in 2014 when Osaka was a 16-year-old ranked outside the top 400 in the world.
Osaka had given up just two games when they last met in 2019, a month after she claimed the first of her four Grand Slam trophies in New York, and she looked to be in the same ruthless mood on Friday night when she opened up a set and a break lead before Petkovic threatened to push the match the distance.
In the longest match of the day, men’s third seed Dimitrov and the Dutchman, van de Zandschulp, traded blows for two hours and 47 minutes before the Bulgarian prevailed 6-7(5) 6-0 7-5 under lights to set a showdown with American Maxime Cressy.
Top seed Nadal reached the semifinals after his opponent, Tallon Griekspoor, handed him a walkover due to a foot injury and will next meet Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori, a 6-2 6-1 winner over Alex Molcan.
Halep: "I didn't trust that I can win this match"
The Melbourne Summer Set 1’s No.2 seed Halep had declared match play crucial leading up to the season’s opening major and under a closed Rod Laver Arena roof her wishes were granted on Friday afternoon as she booked a semifinal berth 6-2 5-7 6-4 after two hours and 35 minutes.
Consistency on serve proved elusive for both throughout – 16 breaks ensued – but in the end the former world No.1, through sheer guts and perseverance, elevated her level in time to prevent a Golubic boilover.
“It was really difficult, I have to admit. I didn't really trust that I can win this match but I fought to the end and I'm very proud of this because in the past I was working a lot on this,” Halep said.
“She played unbelievable, she was fighting to the end. All the credit to her for this beautiful match. I'm really happy that I could be a little bit stronger in the end and win this match. It means a lot.”
Having missed two of the four majors and the Olympic Games last season due to a calf injury, Halep was relishing her return to competition but appeared troubled at times on serve; at one stage, sending down first serves at little more than 100km/h and finishing the match with 11 double faults.
The Romanian served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but the Swiss, who reached her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon last year, sensed her opportunity and broke for the fifth time to tie up the match in a near one-hour second set.
“I felt like nothing was working today… I fought with myself a lot today. It was difficult to control my emotions but she put me in this situation, she put pressure on myself,” Halep said.
“It was really tough to deal with, but if you want to win, you (can’t) give up so I did this today and I'm really happy about it.”
While both had their opportunities early in the third, neither could salvage a hold through the opening four games as Halep conceded serve a fifth straight time on an eight-minute game.
Following consecutive double faults at 2-3, a frustrated Halep was hunched in disbelief.
The 29-year-old Golubic, a top-50 debutante in 2021, produced a searing forehand winner on the run and backed it up with a backhand drop shot to bring up three break points for a crack at closing out the biggest win of her career.
But Halep hung tight as the quality of shot-making off the ground from both lifted a notch.
The Romanian produced one of the points of the contest when at her scrambling best she ended a rally with a dipping backhand pass to draw the error and the break for 5-4.
After a 70-minute final set, she stood with her arms raised in triumph, her 34 winners nine more than her opponent’s but her 52 unforced errors 10 more than Golubic committed.
She will next meet unheralded Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen for a place in the final, following the teenager’s 7-6(1) 7-6(6) win against Ana Konjuh.
Earlier, former Roland Garros semifinalist Amanda Anisimova scored a confidence-boosting 2-6 6-3 6-2 triumph over Halep’s compatriot, Irina-Camelia Begu, to land a Summer Set 2 semifinal spot, where she will meet third seed Daria Kasatkina, a 7-5 6-1 winner over Nuria Parrizaz-Diaz.
Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich also reached the last four after sixth seed Clara Tauson retired at 3-6, 0-2. She will next face American Ann Li, a 6-1 7-5 winner over Kamilla Rakhimova.