Serena Williams advanced to her ninth U.S. Open final after dispatching Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 6-0 in the women’s semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, NY on Thursday.
No. 17 Williams got off to a slow start, dropping the first two games of the opening set before overpowering No. 18 Sevastova, mainly at the net.
Williams, 36, faces Japan’s power hitter Naomi Osaka, 20, in the women’s singles final on Saturday.
A victory over Osaka on Saturday will give Williams a record-tying 24 Grand Slam singles titles and her first Grand Slam title as a new mom. Williams’s daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian turned 1 last Saturday.
Osaka, the 19th seed, beat No. 13 Madison Keys in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals on Thursday night.
Osaka becomes the first Japanese woman to ever reach a Grand Slam final. The 5-foot-11 tennis star has already beaten Williams in Miami in March.
Osaka now has a chance to beat Williams again to become the first Japanese woman to ever win a Grand Slam title.
The biracial Osaka was born in Japan to a Japanese mom and a Haitan dad.
Photos by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
