Serena Williams

Naomi Osaka is one win away from a fourth career Grand Slam title. 

No. 3 Osaka defeated No. 10 Serena Williams in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, in the 2021 Australian Open semifinals on Wednesday at Rod Laver Arena. That means Williams remains one Grand Slam championship shy of Margaret Court's record of 24.

This was the high-profile matchup the entire tennis world wanted when the women's single draw was released, and it marked the fourth chapter in their head-to-head history.

Osaka won two of the first three, including the 2018 U.S. Open final. However, Williams won their most recent matchup in 2019 in Toronto and is dominant at the Australian Open with seven titles on her resume.

2⃣6⃣ Grand Slam singles titles & counting between these two.

🪙 Coin toss goals 🤩#AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/0NhhruR6jy

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 18, 2021

Simply sensational ✨@naomiosaka sweeps past Serena Williams 6-3 6-4 & is our first #AO2021 women's singles finalist!#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/KsMUARKI3L

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 18, 2021

That seemed to set the stage for a Serena victory, although Osaka is undoubtedly one of the best in the sport already as a three-time Grand Slam champion who won the 2019 Australian Open.

Osaka has also been unbeatable of late when she is within striking distance of a Grand Slam, which was a major storyline coming into Wednesday's match. As Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times highlighted, Williams has won two titles in her last 11 trips to a major semifinal. By contrast, Osaka won the title in each of the previous three times she reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

The 23-year-old entered this match a perfect 10-0 in the final three rounds of a Grand Slam event. 

Despite the undefeated mark in such matches, Osaka was immediately under pressure when Williams broke the first game and had a break point to go up 3-0 in the opening set. However, the two-time U.S. Open winner quickly settled in and won five straight games as she battled back and seized control in the early going.

That Osaka won the set was notable because she was far from her best with the serve and hit 36 percent of her first serves inbounds. She made up for it with opportunistic defense and converted both of her break points.

Osaka is locked in!

She takes the first set 6-3 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/3LOPErds6B

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 18, 2021

Naomi Osaka takes the first set against Serena Williams after trailing 0-2 🔥#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/tCOTDQYFlA

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 18, 2021

Osaka wins the first set, 6-3, despite serving quite poorly by her standards. But Naomi's game was just bigger off the ground.

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) February 18, 2021

Her momentum carried right over into the second set.

Osaka earned a break in the first game with a beautiful backhand and then impressed with two straight aces to win her first service game to go up 2-0. Like she so often does, though, Williams played off the crowd's energy and came roaring back to tie the set 4-4 with a break that was aided by three double-faults from Osaka.

To the 23-year-old's credit, she bounced back with a critical break of her own to regain control of the match and finished it with the serve.

OSAKA'S SERVE 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/olewtqBj7Y

— ESPN (@espn) February 18, 2021

While Serena made some uncharacteristic misses, Osaka's power helped her dictate the pace, control rallies and smash winners when presented with opportunities to do so. It was a clinical performance by one of the game's premier stars.

With this showdown in the rearview mirror, Osaka is one victory away from the title. She will face the winner of the match between No. 22 Jennifer Brady and No. 25 Karolina Muchova in the final.

Serena Williams' pursuit of her 24th Grand Slam singles title, which would tie Margaret Court for tennis' all-time record, headlines the women's semifinals in the 2021 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

Williams will face off with three-time major champion Naomi Osaka in the first semifinal Thursday (Wednesday night in the U.S.). The second match is going to feature two players seeking their first Grand Slam championship, Jennifer Brady and Karolina Muchova.  

Let's check out all of the important information for the penultimate round. That's followed by a closer look at each of the matchups.

                

Women's Semifinal Viewing Details

Where: Melbourne Park in Australia

When: Thursday at 2 p.m. AEDT (10 p.m. ET Wednesday in the U.S.)

Watch: ESPN2

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

           

Match Previews

(3) Osaka vs. (10) Williams

Williams may be rounding into peak form at the perfect time. She's coming off an impressive straight-sets triumph over second-seeded Simona Halep in the quarterfinals that saw her win 77 percent of her first-serve points against one of the sport's best defensive players.

"I definitely think this is the best match I've played this tournament for sure," Williams told reporters. "Obviously I had to, going up against the No. 2 in the world. I knew I had to do better and that's what I did."

She'll likely need to take another step up in order to get past Osaka, who's never lost a major where she at least reached the quarterfinals.

The 23-year-old Japanese standout was nothing short of terrific in her dominant win over Su-Wei Hsieh in the quarters. She held significant advances in winners (24-14) and aces (7-0) while generating 12 break-point chances and fending off all three Hsieh earned.

Osaka has presented a unique challenge for Williams because it's been rare throughout the 39-year-old American's career that she's faced someone who can consistently match her powerful groundstrokes. There were even moments in their first three official meetings where Osaka controlled the pace.

The 2019 Australian Open champion won two of those prior WTA Tour matchups, though Williams won their most recent encounter in the 2019 Toronto quarterfinals.

This will be the match of the tournament, and the winner will be the clear favorite heading into the final regardless of who emerges from the second semifinal.

                   

(22) Brady vs. (25) Muchova

Muchova's tournament run appeared over when top-seeded Ashleigh Barty, an Australian native, took the opening set of their quarterfinal, 6-1. The first-time major semifinalist fought back, though, scoring the upset by taking advantage of mistakes.

Barty, who had just six unforced errors in the first set, racked up 31 over the next two sets, and Muchova translated that into four breaks and the win.

The comeback came after a medical timeout for the No. 25 seed, who started to feel dizzy on court.

"They just checked my [blood] pressure because I was a bit lost, you know? I was spinning. So they cooled me down a bit with ice, and it helped me," Muchova said. "[After returning, I] just tried to put a ball in and go for it. Played a bit faster, going to the net. I think that was the key by the end."

Brady also fought back from dropping the opening set to fellow American Jessica Pegula in her quarterfinal before completely taking control over the final two sets.

The biggest difference was harnessing her power, dropping from 17 unforced errors in the opening set to 12 combined over the next two to oust Pegula, who had opened the event with an upset of two-time Aussie Open champ Victoria Azarenka.

Expect her to learn from those final two sets as she prepares to face Muchova, who can bring a little more pace than Pegula but presents a similar challenge with her ability to win long rallies.

Don't be surprised if this match isn't decided until deep in the third set. A lopsided victory by either player would be quite a statement heading into the final since they're evenly matched on paper.   

Sometimes you just need to let your fashion do the talking.

After Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady captured his seventh Super Bowl title, many have wondered about his place among the greatest athletes of all time. Alexis Ohanian, husband of Serena Williams, made a not-so-subtle reference to the ongoing conversation:

Greatest f̶e̶m̶a̶l̶e̶ athlete

Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian's shirt at the Australian Open 🐐 pic.twitter.com/wN35AEau8U

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2021

There will never be any consensus as to the greatest ever because it's such a subjective qualification.

But Williams has a strong case among her peers from the modern era to earn the distinction. 

Her 23 Grand Slam women's singles titles are only one behind Margaret Court for the all-time lead. In addition, the 39-year-old continues to play at a high level at an age when many tennis players have either declined significantly or walked away from the game altogether.

Williams is now two wins away from tying Court's record after having sent second-seeded Simona Halep packing in straight sets Tuesday. 

Serena Williams dominated Simona Halep in the Australian Open quarterfinals Tuesday to keep the veteran on course for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title.

The 39-year-old progressed to the 40th major semifinal of her career with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over the second-seeded Romanian, despite finishing with more unforced errors (33) than winners (24) during the match. 

However, the No. 10 seed was pleased with her showing against Halep. 

"I definitely think this was the best match I played in this tournament, for sure," Williams said. "Obviously I had to, going up against the No. 2 in the world so I knew I had to do better. And that's what I did, so I'm excited."

The American won the last five games to put Halep away and dropped just six games to the world No. 2.

@serenawilliams into the semifinals of the @AustralianOpen !
Straight sets
Dominant
She looked fast & fit
Next up: @naomiosaka #AustralianOpen2021
Serena is the GOAT 🐐

— Marcos Breton (@MarcosBreton) February 16, 2021

The win sets Williams on a collision course with No. 3 seed Naomi Osaka.

"She's such a strong player on the court and she's such an inspiration person off the court," Williams added. "It's so good to see someone who is so inspiring when they do both things, whether they're doing their job or not doing their job."

            

Women's Results

No. 3 Naomi Osaka def. Su-Wei Hsieh, 6-2, 6-2

No. 10 Serena Williams def. No. 2 Simona Halep, 6-3, 6-3

   

Williams' win overshadowed Osaka's 6-2, 6-2 victory in which she outclassed Su-Wei Hsieh, winning 89 percent of her first serves.

Two years ago, the Taiwanese player threatened to oust Osaka in Melbourne after taking a 7-5, 4-1 lead. But the Japanese star showed the resiliency of a champion and hit back to win the match and, eventually, the whole tournament.

"I told myself just to be really intense from the beginning," Osaka said, per Joel Drucker of Tennis.com. "I felt like I knew what to expect and that I couldn't afford to be lazy with my footwork or anything."

Naomi Osaka wins a 19th consecutive match to beat Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2, 6-2 in 67 minutes and reach the semifinals of the #AusOpen. 4th GS SF. Still never lost in a GS QF, SF or final.

She was too powerful today.

Osaka vs. Serena or Halep on Thursday.

[getty] pic.twitter.com/QMEvOGo6Ir

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) February 16, 2021

The world No. 3 and Williams have played four times in their careers, splitting the series.

For both, though, their fifth match is one of great significance.

For Osaka, it is an opportunity to further establish herself as the queen of this generation of women's tennis; for Williams, it's a chance to prove age is merely a number, not a cap on excellence.

          

Men's Results

Aslan Karatsev def. No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2

No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 6 Alexander Zverev 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(6)

   

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic saw off the challenge of Alexander Zverev to advance to the 39th grand slam semifinal—his ninth at the Australian Open—of his career.

80-8.

That's @DjokerNole sensational #AusOpen win-loss record as he reaches his 9th semi-final at Melbourne Park 🤯 pic.twitter.com/nLA6pEtCY6

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 16, 2021

More impressive is the fact that the 33-year-old is progressing despite a much-publicized oblique injury, but he highlighted the coronavirus pandemic as a reason why many players were struggling for full fitness.

"The 14-day quarantine, people don't realize but I think the amount of injuries during this tournament show how much effect it has on the players' bodies. It's taken its toll unfortunately on all of us," Djokovic said.

Djokovic will face unseeded Aslan Karatsev in the semifinals, but he conceded his knowledge of the Russian is limited. "To be honest I haven't seen him play at all before the Australian Open," he said.

The 27-year-old continued his improbable run in the tournament Tuesday, knocking off No. 18 seed Grigor Dimitrov, 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(6).

"Of course, I'm really surprised that I'm here. I'm just going to keep playing each match," Karatsev told Eurosport.

Aslan Karatsev
➡️Ranked #253 after the pandemic break
➡️#114 now
➡️Qualified in Doha
➡1st *ever* player to reach the SFs on his Grand Slam debut
➡️5th ever qualifier to reach a Slam SF.
➡️ Will rise to inside the top 50 next Monday.

One of the best stories in recent years pic.twitter.com/WzJ63tHCmp

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) February 16, 2021

For the fairy tale to continue, he will have to do what no player has done since 2018: beat Djokovic in the Australian Open.

Serena Williams advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 Australian Open with a straight-sets victory (6-3, 6-3) over second-seeded Simona Halep on Tuesday at Melbourne Park.

It was an overpowering performance from Williams, who finished the quarterfinal match with significant advantages in winners (24-9), aces (4-0) and percentage of points won on the first serve (77-52).

The Grand Slam tournament's No. 10 seed, who's seeking her 24th major singles title, moves on to face No. 3 seed Naomi Osaka in the penultimate round.

Halep didn't play poorly, converting three of her four break-point opportunities and showcasing her strong counterattacking skills to win 38 percent of her return points against a typically dominant Williams serve, but it wasn't quite enough.

Williams moved within two wins of tying Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles in history at 24. Her last major triumph came in the 2017 Australian Open. She's reached the finals four times since then but fell short on each occasion.

The 39-year-old may be peaking at the perfect time based on her strong outing against Halep, who defeated her in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

"I definitely think this is the best match I've played this tournament for sure," Williams told reporters. "Obviously I had to, going up against the No. 2 in the world. I knew I had to do better and that's what I did. I've been watching her and I'm sure she's been watching me."

She'll need to continue building off that performance as she prepares to face Osaka, one of the few players on the WTA Tour with a winning record against Williams (2-1).

Those victories came in 2018, though. The sport's longtime gold standard won the most recent official meeting in the Toronto quarterfinals in 2019.

Osaka enters the latest matchup coming off a straight-sets win of her own over unseeded Su-Wei Hsieh (6-2, 6-2).

"I feel like this is such a good opportunity for me just to keep doing my best," Williams said. "It's the first Grand Slam of the year for me. I had an incredibly long, arduous offseason. And so, I'm honestly happy with every win I get."

Williams and Osaka will face off Thursday in the semifinals. A start time will be announced following Wednesday's play, which features the other two women's quarterfinals.

Quarterfinal spots were on the line in Day 7 at the 2021 Australian Open, and several big names were able to keep their championship hopes alive.

Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep advanced despite difficult challenges Sunday, while Serena Williams needed three sets to continue her quest for her 24th Grand Slam title.

The day also featured some surprises as Dominic Thiem was eliminated while unseeded players Aslan Karatsev and Su-Wei Hsieh kept their dream runs alive.

The stakes continue to rise with each round at Melbourne Park.

        

Sunday Results

Men's Draw

No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 14 Milos Raonic; 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov def. No. 3 Dominic Thiem; 6-4, 6-4, 6-0

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. No. 23 Dusan Lajovic; 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3

Aslan Karatsev def. No. 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime; 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

      

Women's Draw

No. 2 Simona Halep def. No. 15 Iga Swiatek; 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

No. 3 Naomi Osaka def. No. 14 Garbine Muguruza; 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

No. 10 Serena Williams def. No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka; 6-4, 2-6, 6-4

Su-Wei Hsieh def. No. 19 Marketa Vondrousova; 6-4, 6-2

Full results and stats available at AusOpen.com.

     

One of the main stories entering the day was the health of Novak Djokovic, who suffered an injury in Round 3 and was uncertain if he would return in time for Sunday's match.

"I know it's a tear, definitely, of the muscle. So I don't know if I'll manage to recover from that in less than two days," he told reporters. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if I'm gonna step out on to the court or not."

The No. 1 seed gutted it out against Milos Raonic, overcoming 26 aces from his opponent to win in four sets. 

Djokovic was broken just once in the match, winning 74 percent of all service points to escape with the win, although the injury was still a significant concern:

“If I am part of any other tournament other than a Grand Slam, I definitely wouldn’t be playing.”@DjokerNole updates on the injury.#AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/PzZJk9e7S2

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 14, 2021

He will hope to recover in time to face Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals after the German cruised to victory against Dusan Lajovic.

Grigor Dimitrov had an easier time than expected against No. 3 Dominic Thiem, with Thiem also noting an injury after the match.

"Some little physical issues. I don't want to talk closer than them," he said Sunday. "I don't want to find excuses. The thing is also, I'm not a machine. I'd like to be."

Thiem finished with 41 unforced errors in the three sets with just 25 winners, also finding little success on his second serve. Dimitrov took advantage and is onto the quarterfinal for his fourth time at this event.

His next match will be against Aslan Karatsev, who had never even reached the main draw of a Grand Slam before this event. He doesn't appear to be slowing down, coming back from two sets down against Felix Auger-Aliassime to earn a thrilling five-set victory.

There was plenty of drama in the women's draw as well with Simona Halep, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaki all going to three sets in their wins.

Halep had a slow start against Iga Swiatek, tallying 10 unforced errors in her first set before combining for just seven in the final two sets. The turnaround led to an impressive win and an exciting quarterfinal match against Williams:

https://twitter.com/TennisPodcast/status/1360895531988492290

Williams had her own challenges in Round 4 against No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka, dropping a set for the first time all tournament. The American was still able to pull out the win thanks to her aggressiveness at the net, winning 13 of 15 points.

Osaka is one step closer to her second title in Australia after her narrow win over Garbine Muguruza, but the red-hot Su-Wei Hsieh could remain a challenge after her second straight-set win over a seeded opponent this tournament.

Regardless of the numbers next to the names, there are no easy matches at this stage of the Grand Slam.

The tournament continues Monday with Rafael Nadal and Ashleigh Barty highlighting the remaining Round 4 action.

The grimaces that painted Novak Djokovic's face as he lunged for a ball or slid across the baseline reflected a double-tough athlete determined to win a championship despite an oblique injury that called into question his ability to compete effectively.

Across the court, Milos Raonic showed no emotion, never letting his opponent know where he was at mentally as he battled the world's top-ranked player in the round of 16. He methodically worked his way through each match, answering Djoker's first-set victory with his own in the second.

This despite a lower-leg injury of his own that the trainer was called to check on early in the match.

Djokovic gutted out a second win in the third set and took a 5-4 lead in the fourth after Raonic fired a forehand shot into the net. He would not relinquish it, giving him his 300th Grand Slam victory.

3⃣0⃣0⃣ reasons to 😁@DjokerNole records his 300th Grand Slam match win, defeating Raonic 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 💥#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/kUyTALlw8s

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 14, 2021

The gritty performance set up Djokovic for a quarterfinal showdown with No. 6 Alexander Zverev and wrapped up a day of dramatic close calls for the sport's top women's players.

                 

Men's Scores

Aslan Karatsev def. No. 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime, 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov def. No. 3 Dominic Thiem, 6-4, 6-4, 6-0

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. No. 23 Dusan Lajovic, 6-4, 7-5 (5), 6-3

No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 14 Milos Raonic, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

       

Grigor Dimitrov stunned 2020 U.S. Open winner Dominic Thiem and the tennis world Sunday with a straight-sets win, blanking the third-ranked Austrian in the third. It was shocking domination of one of the best players in the world, who was fresh off a five-set thriller against Nick Kyrgios.

A round of applause for @GrigorDimitrov 👏

The 18th seed conceded just 6️⃣ points in the third set to close out his fourth round match against Dominic Thiem.#AO2021 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/uR7lC27g9P

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 14, 2021

Thiem cited some physical issues while speaking after the match, saying, "I'm not a machine. I'd like to be."

He stated that he did not want to use the physical limitations as excuses, only to lean further into them moments later. "As soon as you're not at 100 percent at this level, then results like this come up, and that's exactly what happened today," he said, per Eurosport. 

Dimitrov will have the opportunity to continue his impressive run in the quarterfinals when he battles the unseeded Aslan Karatsev, himself fresh off an upset of world No. 2 Felix Auger-Aliassime.

                  

Women's Scores

No. 3 Naomi Osaka def. No. 14 Garbine Muguruza, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

Su-Wei Hsieh def. No. 19 Marketa Vondrousova, 6-4, 6-2

No. 10 Serena Williams def. No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4

No. 2 Simona Halep def. No. 15 Iga Swiatek, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

     

In order to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament, Naomi Osaka not only had to overcome fellow former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza, but she also had to come from behind to do it.

The 23-year-old dropped the first set 4-6 before battling back and winning the final two sets to continue her run in Melbourne. The win was Osaka's 18th consecutive victory and has her in the position to win a second straight Grand Slam.

It was anything but easy, as Osaka acknowledged after the match: "In the stressful points, I feel like I just had to go within myself."

"In the stressful points, I felt like I just had to go within myself."

Digging deep, @naomiosaka produced a whopping 40 winners to overcome Muguruza.#AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/5onuUdR1NQ

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 14, 2021

Osaka saved match point twice before going on a four-match run to preserve her title aspirations. She spoke of her growth and evolution as a player following the win, per WTA Tennis:

"For me, I feel like I'm very happy with myself for the way I overcame the match. I think maybe a year ago - definitely a year ago - I probably wouldn't have won this match. There are so many things that I was thinking about on the court that just would have blocked me from trying to win the match or trying to problem solve."

Osaka will meet unranked Su-Wei Hsieh next.

Serena Williams, the greatest to ever play the game, upset No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka. Her first-set defense set the tone for the match and was key to her 6-4 win there. She would overcome a disappointing second set and put her opponent away to advance.

"I just felt like even games that I lost, I was so close to winning," she told reporters. "Not all games, but probably most of those games. I just needed to play better on the big points. I knew that I could. I still hadn't reached my peak. I was like, ‘OK, Serena, you got this, just keep going.'" 

Williams has a date with No. 2 Simona Halep who, like Osaka, fought back from a first-set loss to win her fourth-round match. 

Serena Williams' quest for a 24th major tournament victory remains alive and well at the Australian Open. 

No. 10 Williams upset No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 on Saturday night to lock up a spot in the quarterfinals.

.@serenawilliams fights on! 👑

Serena defeats a gallant Sabalenka 6-4 2-6 6-4 in one of the most intense matches of the tournament 👏 #AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/lvZBwD3ntJ

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 14, 2021

"I'm happy to get through that one," Williams said in her post-match interview. "It wasn't easy. She was teeing off on every shot." 

One bad set nearly derailed Williams' tournament. She recovered like the savvy veteran she's proved to be time and time again. 

After going down 3-0 in the middle frame, Williams finally slowed Sabalenka's momentum by breaking her opponent's serve. It mostly went for naught as Sabalenka returned the favor in the first, third and fifth games of the set, but the two games Williams won became a confidence-builder heading into the third set.

"The games were so close, they could've gone either way," Williams said of the second set. 

👋👋
🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️
😬😬
👋👋
👍👍@serenawilliams | #AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/y9dGSWeeMB

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 14, 2021

If the middle frame saw Williams playing defense, the third set saw the tennis icon on the attack. Williams set up an epic run for the win by taking a 4-1 lead, featuring a third game sweep that required less than a minute for Williams to win.

Sabalenka came back with three straight games, including another break of Williams' serve, to knot things up at 4-4 just when it looked like Williams was ready to coast to the finish. Instead, Sabalenka made her earn it, serving to go up 5-4 and then hanging on as Sabalenka served to avoid elimination.

Serena wins 6-4 in the third. Really served well at the end after a bad second and Sabalenka choked a little bit serving at 4-5. Experience won in the end

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) February 14, 2021

Williams sat back as Sabalenka imploded, double-faulting on her second serve followed by two more unforced errors to close out the match. 

Overall, Williams won on 78 percent of her first serves, went 13-of-15 on points at the net and held on to win four of nine break points. 

One year after Williams was eliminated in the third round, the seven-time Australian Open winner is back in the quarterfinals for the 13th time, where she'll face the winner between No. 2 Simona Halep and No. 15 Iga Swiatek as she seeks her first title in Melbourne since 2017.    

The biggest story from Day 5 at the 2021 Australian Open is an injury Novak Djokovic suffered in his third-round match against Taylor Fritz. 

Djokovic held off Fritz's upset bid with a 7-6(1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 win in a match that lasted more than three hours. The men's No. 1 seed injured his midsection early in the third set when his legs slid out from underneath him on a return shot. 

After taking a medical timeout, Djokovic was noticeably favoring his midsection the rest of the match. He was limping around on the court in between play. 

Djokovic told reporters after the win he doesn't know if he will be able to keep playing in the tournament. 

"Right now, I know it's a tear, definitely, of the muscle. So I don't know if I'll manage to recover from that in less than two days," he said. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if I'm gonna step out on to the court or not.”

If there's a reason to be optimistic about Djokovic going forward, his service game remained strong against Fritz even after the injury:

Novak Djokovic saved again by his service. Despite the injury during almost 3 sets : 15 aces, 75% points won on his 1st serve.

— Dan (@DanTennis1) February 12, 2021

Djokovic's next scheduled match is against Milos Raonic in the fourth round on Sunday. 

Here are other notable results from Friday's matches at Melbourne Park, via AusOpen.com.

    

Men's Singles 

No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 27 Taylor Fritz: 7-6(1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. No. 32 Adrian Mannarino: 6-3, 6-3, 6-1

No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov def. No. 15 Pablo Carreno Busta: 6-0, 1-0 (Retired)

No. 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime def. No. 11 Denis Shapovalov: 7-5, 7-5, 6-3

Aslan Karatsev def. No. 8 Diego Schwartzman: 6-3, 6-3, 6-3

No. 14 Milos Raonic def. Marton Fucsovics: 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2

No. 3 Dominic Thiem def. Nick Kyrgios: 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

    

Women's Singles

No. 2 Simona Halep def. No. 32 Veronika Kudermetova: 6-1, 6-3

No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka def. Ann Lin: 6-3, 6-1

No. 10 Serena Williams def. Anastasia Potapova: 7-6(5), 6-2

No. 3 Naomi Osaka def. No. 27 Ons Jabeur: 6-3, 6-2

No. 5 Elina Svitolina def. Coco Gauff: 6-4, 6-3

No. 14 Garbine Muguruza def. Zarina Diyas: 6-1, 6-1

No, 15 Iga Swiatek def. Fiona Ferro: 6-4, 6-3

No. 19 Marketa Vondrousova def. Sorana Cirstea: 6-2, 6-4

       

On the women's side, Serena Williams held off an early test from Anastasia Potapova to win 7-6(5), 6-2. The seven-time Australian Open champion lost in the third round last year, so those struggles in the first set on Friday likely caused some concern. 

In the second set, though, Williams seemed much more comfortable and was even laughing after a no-look shot in the midst of a long rally:

Serena was laughing before the point even ended.

What a rally 😱 @serenawilliams pic.twitter.com/oY6h1Weekv

— espnW (@espnW) February 12, 2021

Williams' next opponent will be No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka. The 22-year-old from Belarus is in the fourth round for the first time in her career after a straight-set win over Ann Lin. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two stars on the WTA Tour. 

"She's a great player, and it's always a big challenge to play against these kind of players," Sabalenka told reporters about her upcoming match. "But I'm going to do everything I can to get this win. We're all here for the wins and I'm going to do everything."

Naomi Osaka continues to roll in the early rounds with a straight-set win over Ons Jabeur. The 2019 Australian Open champion extended her winning streak to 17 consecutive matches and has yet to drop a set in her three matches this week.

Osaka needed just 78 minutes to put away Jabeur on Friday. Her three wins so far in this tournament have lasted a combined total of three hours, 27 minutes. By comparison, Djokovic's win over Fritz took three hours, 25 minutes. 

The biggest upset on either side of the draw saw No. 8 Diego Schwartzman fall in straight sets to unranked Aslan Karatsev. 

Karatsev, who made the tournament as a qualifier, hit 50 winners and had a 9-0 advantage in aces against Schwartzman. The victory marked his first-ever against a player ranked in the top 10. 

Third-round play will resume on Friday night with Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Ashleigh Barty among the notable players in action.  

Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem were pushed to their limits on Friday at the Australian Open. 

Thiem took on the more challenging task of the two Melbourne finalists from 2020, as he battled through a five-set match with Nick Kyrgios while fans were still allowed inside the grounds. 

Djokovic's five-set match with Taylor Fritz was delayed at one point to vacate the fans from Rod Laver Arena. The Australian state of Victoria put in a five-day mandatory lockdown that started at midnight local time. 

The top-seeded Serb battled through some injury issues and a hard fight from Fritz and took control in the final set to move into the fourth round. 

The five-set wins by Djokovic and Thiem capped a bizarre day in the men's draw, which included an upset win by qualifier Aslan Karatsev over eighth-seeded Diego Schwartzman. 

There were no surprises in the women's singles draw on Friday. Those results set up a trio of blockbuster matches involving previous Grand Slam champions in the fourth round. 

        

Top Men's Results

No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 27 Taylor Fritz, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2

No. 3 Dominic Thiem def. Nick Kyrgios, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 

No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. Adrian Mannarino, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1

Aslan Karatsev def. No. 8 Diego Schwartzman, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3

No. 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime def. No. 11 Denis Shapovalov, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3

No. 14 Milos Raonic def. Marton Fuscovics, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2

No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov def. No. 15 Pablo Carreno Busta, 6-0, 1-0 (retired)

No. 23 Dusan Lajovic def. Pedro Martinez 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 6-1, 6-4

     

Djokovic appeared to be in line for an easy win over Fritz, but the 27th-seeded American rallied back to win the third and fourth sets.

At the start of the third set, Djokovic appeared to injure himself when he slipped on the court. He did not take control again until the final set. 

Djokovic overpowered Fritz in the final few games to kill any potential upset from the American. After he clinched the victory, the Serb let out a thunderous roar that reflected the fight he went through over five sets. 

Fritz finished the match with more aces and winners than Djokovic, but the reigning champion earned a slight advantage in receiving points won and was victorious on four of his nine break-point opportunities. 

Thiem found himself in a much different situation, as he went down two sets to Kyrgios. The Australian had a raucous crowd behind him and rode that emotion to the early advantage. 

However, the third-seeded Austrian dug deep and battled back from the deficit to put away his toughest challenge yet in his quest to return to the Australian Open final.

Thiem was much better on his second serve, earning points on 72 percent of them in comparison to Kyrgios' 41 percent. Thiem held slight edges in winners, break points won and receiving points won.

Although it was a bit surprising to see Djokovic and Thiem pushed to five sets, no result was as shocking as Karatsev's straight-set sweep over Schwartzman. 

Karatsev entered the tournament as a qualifier and defeated two unseeded opponents through three-set triumphs. 

On Friday, he looked like the seeded player in his matchup, as he broke Schwartzman on five occasions and held a 50-5 advantage in winners. 

Karatsev will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. Both men will be playing for their first Grand Slam quarterfinal berth. 

           

Top Women's Results

No. 2 Simona Halep def. No. 32 Veronika Kudermetova, 6-1, 6-3

No. 3 Naomi Osaka def. No. 27 Ons Jabeur, 6-3, 6-2

No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka def. Ann Li, 6-3, 6-1

No. 10 Serena Williams def. Anastasia Potapova, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2

No. 14 Garbine Muguruza def. Zarina Diyas, 6-1, 6-1

No. 15 Iga Swiatek def. Fiona Ferro, 6-4, 6-3

No. 19 Marketa Vondrousova def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-2, 6-4

    

Friday was a routine day for the seven seeded women that won third-round matches. 

They all used straight-set victories to move into the fourth round and set up some matches worthy of Grand Slam finals. 

Simona Halep and Iga Swiatek will square off in a rematch of the French Open round-of-16, in which Swiatek breezed past the Romanian on the way to her first Grand Slam title. 

Garbine Muguruza and Naomi Osaka will face off in a battle of multiple Grand Slam champions. Neither player has lost a set in Melbourne. 

Serena Williams does not have to face a Grand Slam winner, but she does have a tough test in the form of Aryna Sabalenka. 

Sabalenka has been a fixture in the top 15 of the women's rankings over the last year, but she has not made a deep run at a Grand Slam yet—her fourth-round appearance at the 2018 U.S. Open is her best yet. 

Marketa Vondrousova earned what may be perceived as the easiest fourth-round draw in the bottom half of the bracket. 

The No. 19 seed will take on unseeded Hsieh Su-Wei, who knocked out eighth-seeded Bianca Andreescu in the second round. 

If the higher seeds win in the other third-round matches on Saturday, there will be six matches between seeded players in the fourth round of the women's draw.

           

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from AusOpen.com.