Semifinals: No. 4 Naomi Osaka (JPN) vs. No. 28 Jennifer Brady (USA)
First women's semifinal in Arthur Ashe Stadium
- The stage is set for an intriguing matchup between former champion Naomi Osaka and Jennifer Brady, a one-time collegiate standout who is appearing in her first major semifinal. Though their head-to-head stands at an even 1-1, it’s the 2018 US Open titlist Osaka who’ll come in as the heavy favorite. You’d have to turn back the clock to 2014 to find Brady’s win over the Japanese star, which came at an ITF Challenger event in New Braunfels, Texas. Their only other encounter came two years ago in Charleston, with a much different Osaka claiming a straight-sets decision, 6-4, 6-4.
- If the 41st-ranked Brady has shown anything at the 2020 US Open, it’s that she can hit the cover off the ball. The former UCLA standout can generate plenty of power off both wings, but also has the ability to mix things up. She fired 10 aces in overcoming No. 50 Caroline Garcia in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the Round of 16, then stunned 2016 US Open champion Angelique Kerber, 6-1, 6-4, in one hour and 24 minutes, her longest match of the fortnight. “She’s a really amazing player,” said Osaka. “She has the variety that I wish I had, so I’m a bit jealous. I think it’s going to be a really tough match.”
- As she showed in her emotion-packed victory over Serena Williams in the 2018 Flushing final, Osaka can neutralize even the sport’s heaviest hitters. In fact, the burgeoning activist relishes facing opponents with powerful groundies. So she won’t be intimidated against the upstart Brady, who at 25 is in unfamiliar territory. “Naomi’s obviously a great player. Very powerful, big serve, big shots off the baseline, one-two punch. I think it will be a really tough match,” observed the Pennsylvanian, who’s notched four victories over a former or reigning world No. 1s this season, having now defeated Kerber, Maria Sharapova, Ashleigh Barty and Garbiñe Muguruza. Is a fifth upset in store?
- If the one-time Bruin Brady—the first former collegian to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Gigi Fernandez (Clemson) in 1994—hopes to get past the Wim Fissette-coached Osaka, she’ll have to take the 4th seed out of her comfort zone, mixing up the pace and keeping her off-balance. Easier said than done against a two-time Slam champion who, outside of her Western & Southern Open withdrawal (left thigh injury), is 9-0 since the sport returned to action last month. But the player who recently claimed her maiden WTA Tour title in Lexington (def. Jil Teichmann, 6-3, 6-4) without dropping so much as a set, is brimming with the confidence to do so.
Semifinals: No. 3 Serena Williams (USA) vs. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
Second women's semifinal in Arthur Ashe Stadium
- We all know what’s at stake for Serena Williams, who, in essence, has spent the entirety of her more than two-decades-long career chasing Margaret Court and her industry-best 24 major trophies. The surefire Hall of Famer has come up short of equaling that mark in her last four Grand Slam finals, including consecutive title tilts here in 2018 and 2019, the pressure of the moment perhaps too much for even a veteran performer like herself. Now 38 and a busy mom, the No. 3 seed knows she’s up against the clock, with only so many more opportunities on the horizon. Though eight of her 10 matches since the resumption of the tour schedule have gone three sets, Williams appears to be rounding into form at the right time, especially when it comes to the most dominant weapon in the history of the sport: her serve. The American has smacked a tournament-leading 64 aces through five rounds, 20 of which came in her 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 turnaround against Tsvetana Pironkova in the quarterfinals.
- Williams and her familiar opponent, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, have a long history. They’ve faced each other 22 times, a compelling rivalry that dates back to 2008. The American owns an 18-4 advantage in the head-to-heads, two of those wins coming in the 2012 and 2013 US Open finals. Though a lot has changed since those title matches for these friends (both are now working moms), their skills on the tennis court remain elite. Azarenka knows what it takes to win on the sport’s biggest stages. The former No. 1 captured back-to-back titles at the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013.
- This matchup of super moms presents a nice contrast. Serena and her unparalleled serve will be going up against a player whose return game is among the best in the annals of the sport. (Azarenka broke Belgian Elise Mertens’ serve six times in the quarterfinals.) Now ranked at No. 27 on the WTA charts, her highest ranking since returning to the tour from maternity leave in 2017, Azarenka has dropped just one set en route to semifinals—her most effective run to reach this stage of a Slam since the 2016 Australian Open. The 31-year-old is riding a 10-match winning streak (five in taking the Western & Southern Open title, five thus far in at the US Open). By reaching the semifinals, she is projected to climb as high as No. 17. Most importantly, she’s truly enjoying her livelihood for the first time. “I've always been passionate, but the joy of playing and accepting the process, all of the good and bad in the process, I have never done that before in my career, even when I was No. 1, when I was winning Grand Slams,” she said this week. “I was never able to reach that level of happiness on the court, joy on the court.”
- Williams now has a record 105 wins in New York. Thirteen of her 23 major titles have come on hard courts—the most of any player in the Open era. “Can it get any better?” asked Azarenka. “I love playing against Serena. I think we’ve had some of the best matches—at least that I played in my career. We’ve always played on big stages, a lot of big fights. She’s one of the players who pushes me to the limit, who makes me better. I’m excited for that.”
