Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan gave Japan’s Naomi Osaka an emotional ride in the Australian Open women’s singles yesterday before the US Open champion sent her packing.
Osaka conceded the first set and was down 4-1 in the second before a five-game winning streak forced a decider and she took control for a 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 victory.
Fourth seed Osaka uncharacteristically blew her cool as she struggled against Hsieh’s unorthodox strokeplay, receiving a warning for racket abuse.
Photo: AFP
The 21-year-old after the match repeatedly apologized for her outburst and said it was laughter, not anger, that allowed her to advance to the last 16.
Osaka, who is next to face Latvian 13th seed Anastasija Sevastova, said she found it difficult to settle the Taiwanese world No. 27’s dizzying mix of drop shots and slices.
“She hits very different from everyone else. I can never really tell where she’s going to put the ball,” Osaka said. “She hits down the line and then hits a weird crosscourt. It’s very, very hard to have a rally with her.”
After taking her frustrations out on her racket, Osaka tried a different approach and released a slightly manic laugh after Hsieh again succeeded with an unexpected shot.
She said it released the tension and her fightback began.
“She was just playing so well and I think I got overwhelmed. I tried doing things that are not necessarily my game ... then after a while I started thinking: ‘I’m in a Grand Slam. I shouldn’t be sad, I’m playing against a really great player, so I should just enjoy it and try and do the best I can,’” Osaka said.
Hsieh admitted she had frozen with nerves.
“I was doing pretty well until the second set. I became: ‘OK, I’m leading, I’m leading,’” Hsieh said, wrapping her hands round her throat in a choking gesture.
In the mixed doubles, Taiwan’s Chan sisters went their separate ways as Chan Hao-ching and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands moved on to the last 16, while Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig of Croatia fell to sixth seeds Abigail Spears and Juan Sebastian Cabal.
Chan Hao-ching and Rojer produced a clean 6-4, 6-4 victory against Danielle Rose Collins of the US and New Zealander Michael Venus, but the American-Colombian duo proved too much for her sister and Dodig, who lost 7-5, 6-2.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Simona Halep set up a headline last 16 showdown with Serena Williams by beating her sister Venus, as Novak Djokovic’s drive toward more Australian Open glory cranked up another gear.
The Romanian finally hit form to pull off her best win of the year and cruise past the veteran American 6-2, 6-3.
“I have nothing to lose,” she said, looking ahead to tomorrow’s clash against 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena.
Williams crushed Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-1 before consoling her at the net as the teenager burst into tears.
The ominous 16th seed has dropped just nine games in her three matches so far on her first return to the tournament since winning it in 2017 while pregnant.
Meanwhile, top seed Djokovic is gunning for a record seventh Australian title.
He dropped a set for the first time this year against fast-rising Canadian Denis Shapovalov, before demolishing him in the fourth stanza to win 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
Djokovic’s victory means he is guaranteed to stay world No. 1 when the new rankings are released after the tournament.
He next plays another up-and-coming star, Russia’s 15th seed Daniil Medvedev, who eased past David Goffin and has yet to drop a set.
Another young gun Alexander Zverev made the last 16 for the first time when he swatted aside Australian Alex Bolt in three sets and is to play former world No. 3 Milos Raonic for a place in the quarter-finals.
Sixth seed Elina Svitolina struggled with a painful shoulder complaint that required treatment at every changeover, and medical timeouts, before she somehow beat China’s Zhang Shuai 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 as the temperature rose in the center court sunshine.
“I just told myself: ‘You’re going to die or win,’” Svitolina said.
She will next meet 17th seeded American Madison Keys.
Eighth seed Kei Nishikori made it back-to-back victories for Japan following Osaka by beating Portugal’s 44th-ranked Joao Sousa in three sets.
He next plays Spain’s 23rd seed Pablo Carreno Busta.
Additional reporting by staff writer and Reuters
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