Naomi Osaka sent out an ominous warning to her Australian Open rivals on Friday after defeating Tunisia's Ons Jabeur 6-3, 6-2 to reach the fourth round.
Third seed Osaka, the 2019 Australian Open champion, is yet to drop a set at this year's tournament, losing just 13 games in three matches, and she was again largely untroubled against the 27th seed.
The challenge steps up another level in the fourth round when the 23-year-old Japanese star faces last year's finalist Garbine Muguruza. The Spanish 14th seed and two-time major winner has also been in fine form Down Under and booked her meeting with Osaka with a 6-1, 6-1 thrashing of Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas earlier in the day.
"I was really nervous and scared because I didn't know if she was gonna hit a drop shot on me, so I felt kind of rushed," Osaka said.
She also thanked the fans for attending on the day it was announced that Melbourne would go into five days' lockdown from midnight, meaning stands will be empty from Saturday.
"I hope that you guys enjoyed the match and thanks for coming out today."
If Osaka maintains her imperious form, a potential blockbuster semi-final could await with seven-time champion Serena Williams, who overcame some stubborn first set resistance from Anastasia Potapova to progress to the fourth round 7-6, 6-2.
Although it was not her best tennis on Friday, Williams gave the crowd ample suspense as she slumped to a 5-3 deficit in an error-strewn first set.
She survived two set points before getting the match back on serve when Potapova double-faulted. From there, it was all on Williams's terms.
"I wouldn't be in Australia if I didn't love what I do," said Williams, who is chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title.
"I think that love is one of the single greatest things in the world that you can have. It propels you to be your best in your job, whether it's playing tennis or whether it's doing something else."
However, if Williams is to maintain her pursuit of the major milestone, the 39-year-old American will need to avoid another slow start when she takes on seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round.
Sabalenka has lost just one of her past 19 matches – having claimed the last two titles of the 2020 season and this year's opening trophy at the Abu Dhabi WTA Women's Tennis Open – and the Belarusian was again unstoppable in the third round, cruising past American Ann Li 6-3, 6-1.
Also through to the fourth round on Friday, Taiwan's Su-Wei Hsieh followed up her win over ninth seed Bianca Andreescu with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory against Italy's Sara Errani. Her next opponent will be former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova after the Czech 19th seed defeated Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-4.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Results
Women finals: 48kg - Urantsetseg Munkhbat (MGL) bt Distria Krasniqi (KOS); 52kg - Odette Guiffrida (ITA) bt Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS); 57kg - Nora Gjakova (KOS) bt Anastasiia Konkina (Rus)
Men’s finals: 60kg - Amiran Papinashvili (GEO) bt Francisco Garrigos (ESP); 66kg - Vazha Margvelashvili (Geo) bt Yerlan Serikzhanov (KAZ)
Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m
National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m
National selection: Rocket Power
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m
National selection: Ihtesham
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m
National selection: Noof KB
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m
National selection: EL Faust
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
