The Japanese Naomi Osaka and the Czech Petra Kvitova win her semi-finals at the Australian Open in Melbourne. In the final, it is not only the Grand Slam title, but also to be the number one.
US Open champion Naomi Osaka reaches for her second Grand Slam title. The 21-year-old Japanese girl won in the semi-finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne against Karolina Pliskova after 1:53 hours 6:2, 4:6, 6:4. “I knew that it will be a tough fight,” said Osaka after their victory against the 26-year-old Czech, who had set in the last round and American Star Serena Williams.
Osaka hits in the Finale this Saturday on Pliskovas compatriot Petra Kvitova. The Czech won against American Danielle Collins in two sets 7:6 (7:2), 6:0. Collins had a game on their way to the semi-final round, the two best German tennis players, Angelique Kerber and Julia Görges, out of the race thrown in.
Roof closed
“The final means everything to me,” said Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014, the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon. “Finally, I managed at a Major again.” At temperatures of almost 40 degrees Celsuius Kvitova and Collins had started her Match first, under the open sky, but the roof had been closed because of the heat – to the delight of Kvitovas: “I like to play in the hall. And love playoffs.”
Petra Kvitova came through at the end in two sets
In the final, it is not only the first Grand Slam title of the season, but also to the leadership of the world ranking list. Kvitova or Osaka will replace the Romanian Simona Halep as the number one.
In the last game of the day, the men of the Spaniard Rafael Nadal and the Greek shooting star Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals.
sn/dv (dpa, sid)