Serena Williams beats Naomi Osaka in Adelaide

Friday, 29 January 2021 at 06:45

Competing in front of delighted fans in Adelaide, Serena Williams ousted Naomi Osaka 6-2, 2-6, 10-7 at A Day at the Drive exhibition, their last test before the Melbourne trip.

The 23-time Major champion needed 55 minutes to bring the victory home, leaving the second set behind her and starting all over in the match tie break to earn the triumph, playing bold and aggressive tennis.

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The American kicked off the action with comfortable service games and broke the Japanese at 3-2 after forcing Osaka's error. Serena sealed the set with another break at 5-2, forcing another mistake from Naomi and putting the opening set in the pocket after 21 minutes. Starting all over, Osaka raised her level in set number two and grabbed a break in the opening game thanks to a double fault from Williams.

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The Japanese produced two fine holds and seized another break in game five to extend the gap. Naomi closed the set with an unreturned serve at 5-2, gathering momentum ahead of the match tie break. Still, Serena was more focused in the decisive moments, firing a service winner at 9-7 to move over the top and secure the victory.