Twenty four hours later and British No1 Johanna Konta was forced to retire in the second set of her match against Slovenia's Kaja Juvan due to an abdominal injury.įrancesca Jones, on her Grand Slam main-draw debut, made a promising start against American Shelby Rogers before eventually losing 6-4, 6-1 to a player ranked almost 200 places higher. It was not a good start for the Brits as Katie Boulter fell to Daria Kasatkina in the first round 6-1 6-4 on the opening day. Novak Djokovic was the first finalist after the top seed beat surprise Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev in straight sets.Īnd he will meet Russian Daniil Medvedev after he came through the challenge of Stefanos Tsitsipas. Osaka, champion in 2018, will play American Jennifer Brady in Saturday's final. The latter withstood late drama to defeat Karolina Muchova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 and reach her first grand slam final. If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone. In her post-match press conference, Williams, who had never previously lost a semi-final in Melbourne, responded: 'I don't know. The gesture prompted speculation about whether the 39-year-old would ever be back competing at Melbourne Park, where she has won the title seven times.

Williams gave the crowd inside the Rod Laver Arena a long wave goodbye with her hand on her heart following her 6-3, 6-4 semi-final defeat by Naomi Osaka. Serena Williams bid a tearful farewell to the Australian Open amid questions about whether she may have played at the tournament for the last time. Women's final: Jennifer Brady vs Naomi Osaka Tournament director Craig Tiley had the unenviable task of working alongside public health experts to manage the arrival of over 1,200 players and officials into the country on 15 charter flights with participants facing a strict two-week period in quarantine.īut despite the disruption, the first major of the year is nearly complete. Australian Open 2021: Match schedule, latest results and how to watch on TV in the UKĪustralian Open round-by-round schedule, latest scores and how to watch the 2021 tournamentĪfter a three-week delay from its traditional start date, the Australian Open is reaching the business end of the tournament.

Australian open 2021 results live