Naomi Osaka: Playing Against Serena Williams 'For Me, Is a Dream'

Much of the tennis world dreamed about a showdown between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams in the semifinals of the 2021 Australian Open when the draw was released.  

Turns out, so did Osaka. 

"Just to be on the court playing against her, for me, is a dream," the 23-year-old said following her straight-sets win over Williams, 6-3, 6-4. Osaka is now 3-1 in her career against the legendary Williams, including a 2-0 mark in Grand Slam matchups.

Much of the ESPN broadcast focused on how Osaka idolized Williams growing up, but that didn't stop her from controlling the match.

She responded every time she faced pressure, including in the opening set when Serena had a break point to go up 3-0. Rather than fall into a daunting hole right out of the gates, Osaka rallied and won the next five games before eventually taking the set.

It was Williams' turn to rally in the second set as the American battled back from an early break to tie it at four games apiece.

The crowd was on the legend's side by that point, but Osaka overcame three double-faults in the previous game and broke to take a 5-4 lead. It was just a matter of time before she closed out the win at that point, and she did just that with her serve in the ensuing game.

Williams is still one Grand Slam title shy of Margaret Court's record of 24, while Osaka is one win away from her fourth major championship.

Osaka defeated Serena in the 2018 U.S. Open final, but this might have been her most impressive head-to-head performance yet considering the 23-time Grand Slam winner is a seven-time Australian Open champion and thrives in this tournament.

It was Osaka, though, who prevailed like she always has at this stage of majors. In fact, she is now 11-0 in the final three rounds of a Grand Slam event in her career.