Osaka ends Williams' record bid and reaches Australian Open final

United States' Serena Williams falls during her fourth round match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. [AP Photo/Hamish Blair]

Naomi Osaka ended Serena Williams' bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title in a storm of power-hitting on Thursday, humbling the American great 6-3 6-4 to reach her second Australian Open final.

In a rematch of their tumultuous 2018 U.S. Open decider, Osaka underlined her status as the new queen of women's tennis and soaked up the cheers from the Rod Laver Arena crowd as fans returned to the Grand Slam after a five-day lockdown.