Fourth seeded Naomi Osaka will take on Hsieh Su-wei for a place in the fourth round at the 2019 Australian Open.
Watch & bet on Naomi Osaka v Hsieh Su-wei live with bet365 here* on Saturday, January 19. The Osaka v Su-wei match timings will be announced soon.
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Osaka Hunting for Another Grand Slam
It’s been a while since the women’s tennis saw a player win back to back Grand Slam titles. Serena Williams, in 2015, was the last female player to achieve that feat and now, Osaka, will be gunning to become the next.
The US Open winner has already shown what she’s capable of with easy wins over Magda Linette and Tamara Zidansek. Despite the opponents showing fighting capabilities at different times in their matches against Osaka, the Japanese player did not waste any time disposing both of them, losing six games apiece.
Osaka’s start to the season was bit of a middling one, with two wins at the Brisbane International taking her to the semi-finals before she lost to Lesya Tsurenko there. That would have given her some respite after three successive losses at the WTA Finals in which she looked jaded and exhausted.
Su-wei’s Best Year, 2018?
33-year-old Hsieh has been playing at the top level since 2001 and even in the twilight of her career, the Taiwanese player has kept fighting and kept winning on occasions.
What’s stunning to note is that her best year of her professional career came in 2018, at least from the perspective of her Grand Slam results. She made the fourth round at the Australian Open, fourth round at Wimbledon and while she was knocked out in round two at US Open, these three represented her best ever results at majors.
What this has meant is she is now ranked 27th in the world, four ranks lower than her best ever way back in 2013.
She defeated Stefanie Voegele in round one, winning 6-2, 6-1 before overcoming Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the competition to set up this meeting.
Osaka v Su-wei Head to Head
Osaka and Su-wei have met just once before this and that came in a lower-level tournament, the $50k Surbiton Open in which the then-18-year-old Osaka defeated her opponent in three tight sets.
Naomi Osaka v Hsieh Su-wei – Who Will Win?
Osaka has the game to go all the way in this competition and despite Su-wei’s experience, we think that Osaka should come away a winner in straight sets.
You can watch & bet on Naomi Osaka v Hsieh Su-wei live with bet365 here on Saturday, January 19.
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