Karolina Pliskova vs Naomi Osaka
After Karolina Pliskova’s controversial victory over Serena Williams in the quarter-finals, all the focus will be on the Czech star when she takes on Naomi Osaka in the semis of the Australian Open.
Williams was expected to dominate the competition in the land down under, and after winning against World No.1 Simona Halep, the general consensus was “Williams is on her way to a record-tying 24th major title.”
However, Pliskova ended that dream and what could have been an incredible story for the tennis world to relish.
Of course, that is not to take anything away from Pliskova, but with the way she won against Serena, the only way for her to fully redeem herself is with a convincing win against Osaka.
Talking Points
Pliskova: Lucky or a result of incredible focus?
The 26-year-old Pliskova worked hard to get to this point. She beat Camila Giorgi in the Round of 32 and immediately made easy work of another tournament contender in Garbine Muguruza the following game.
However, all of that was forgotten after her three-set thriller with Williams that ended in surprising fashion.
As mentioned, the quarterfinal meeting between Pliskova and Williams went the distance, with the former winning the first set and the latter taking the second.
Williams was about to win in the final frame, up by 5-1 and serving for match point. In a cruel twist of fate, the 37-year-old American superstar was called for a foot-fault during her serve. She then appeared to hurt her left ankle, paving the way for Pliskova to pull off a massive turnaround.
Without the questionable call for foot-fault, Williams would have probably won. Besides, Pliskova already looked defeated when the seven-time Australian Open winner surged to a massive lead.
Nonetheless, the focus that Pliskova displayed shouldn’t be undermined. There’s luck for sure, but winning six straight points against an experienced and proven winner like Serena is no easy feat.
It should also be noted that the 26-year-old Czech was clinical in the first set and won 81 percent of her serves while making just five unforced errors.
It remains to be seen if Pliskova will have the same luck against Osaka. But if she sticks to her style of play, keeps her shots simple and retains the same composure, then she could be in for another upset.
No redemption for Osaka
Tennis fans around the world were already looking forward to a rematch between Williams and Osaka. The two were embroiled in the shocking 2018 US Open final that saw Osaka’s dream night end in tears—no thanks to Serena’s outburst and fight with the umpire.
It would have been a chance for Osaka to prove her mettle against Williams once again. However, that would have to wait after the latest set of Australian Open 2019 results.
Nevertheless, whoever her opponent is, the fourth-seeded Osaka will still be a tough nut to crack.
Osaka is the last top five player in the women’s competition, and she hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. She has been a model of consistency and has been a lot more confident, as proven by her come-from-behind victories over Hsieh Su-Wei (Round of 32) and Anastasija Sevastova (Round of 16).
The Japanese star is also on course to become the first WTA star to win back-to-back major titles since Jennifer Capriati in 2001, and that should give her extra motivation.
History
Pliskova and Osaka have met three times before, with the Czech star ahead 2-1. They last played against each other in the final of the Pan Pacific Open in Japan last September 2018.
Despite the strong support that Osaka got during that contest, Pliskova came out on top with a straight-set win.
They also faced each other in the Indian Wells in 2018, though it was Osaka who got the win back then.
Pliskova won her first ever meeting with Osaka in the professional level in 2016, though that ended with the young Japanese retiring in the third set.
What are the odds?
Osaka, unsurprisingly, is the overwhelming favourite to win based on the Australian Open 2019 odds at SBOBET.
The Japanese star is at Money Line odds 1.80 to come out on top, though Pliskova isn’t too far behind at odds of 2.04.
Their fight is expected to go the distance, as Asian Handicap odds give Pliskova a plus-handicap +1.50 that pays at 1.40. On the other hand, the 21-year-old Osaka is at 2.78 for a -1.50 handicap.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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