World No. 11, Serena Williams, was in vintage form on Tuesday night, breezing past World No. 2 Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3. In the 12th encounter between the two, Williams improved her head to head with Halep to 10-2, highlighting the true dominance the 39-year-old has over the Romanian.
It was a tight tussle in the opening set before Williams broke away with a high tempo offensive focus.
“I just realised I was making a lot of unforced errors… I just needed to keep going,” the American stated during her on-court interview.
Williams won 77% of first serve points and converted on 6/13 break points on Rod Laver Arena. The 39-year-old had impressive footspeed, first class defence and strong baseline power during the match.
“This is the best match I have played all tournament for sure, coming up against the world number two I knew I had to do better, and I did,” Williams told Jim Courier.
“I am happy with every win I get.”
With the win, Williams sets up a blockbuster semi-final clash with Naomi Osaka. The last time the two played was in 2019, in which Williams won in straight sets in Toronto.
“She [Naomi Osaka] is such a strong player on the court,” Williams acknowledged.
Williams will be up for an intense clash with the World No. 3, but for now, the quest for 24 rolls on.