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| - Facts and figures ahead of Thursday's Australian Open women's semi-final (x denotes seeding): Naomi Osaka (JPN x3) v Serena Williams (USA x10) Head-to-head: Osaka leads 2-1 Fast facts Naomi Osaka Age: 23 World ranking: 3 Prize money: $17,770,234 Career titles: 6 Grand Slam titles: 3 Australian Open best: Champion (2019) Coach: Wim Fissette Picked up her third Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open, coming from a set and a break down to beat Victoria Azarenka in the final, and won widespread praise for her passionate support of the Black Lives Matters movement. Beat Petra Kvitova in three sets two years ago to win her first Australian Open, her second consecutive major after lifting her maiden Slam in a controversial 2018 US Open final against Williams. Osaka has a 100 percent winning record in Slams when she gets past the fourth round. Path to the semi-final: 1st rd: bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 6-1, 6-2 2nd rd: bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-2, 6-3 3rd rd: bt Ons Jabeur (TUN x27) 6-3, 6-2 4th rd: bt Garbine Muguruza (ESP x14) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 Quarter-final: bt Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) 6-2, 6-2 Serena Williams Age: 39 World ranking: 11 Prize money: $93,634,967 Career titles: 73 Grand Slam titles: 23 Australian Open best: Champion (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017) Coach: Patrick Moratoglou Williams, who will turn 40 in August, has been trying to pull level with Margaret Court as a 24-time Grand Slam champion since her last Australian Open win four years ago when pregnant. Many questioned whether she can reach those heights again after a truncated 2020 which was the first year since 2006 in which Williams failed to reach a Grand Slam final. But she has looked refreshed, relaxed and close to her best in Australia, dropping only one set in five matches and disposing easily of world number two Simona Halep in the quarter-finals. Path to the semi-final: 1st rd: bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-1, 6-1 2nd rd: bt Nina Stojanovic (SRB) 6-3, 6-0 3rd rd: bt Anastasia Potapova (RUS) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 4th rd: bt Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x7) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 Quarter-final: bt Simona Halep (ROM x2) 6-3, 6-3 afp
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