Serena Williams will not play in her ninth Australian Open final this year, after she lost to Naomi Osaka in the semi-final.

Osaka ended William’s bid to equal Magaret Court’s 24 Grand Slams with a 6-3 6-4 win.

The Japanese third seed, who won the US Open last year, is now on course to make it back to back Grand Slam titles.

Osaka, whose last defeat came on February 7, 2020, said on court: “I was really nervous and scared in the beginning but I eased my way into it.

“It was about having fun and it was the first day having a crowd for a while. It’s an honour to play her and I didn’t want to go out really bad so I just tried my best.

“I was a little kid watching her play so coming up against her on the court for me is a dream.”

In the other semi-final, Jennifer Brady withstood late drama to defeat Karolina Muchova and reach her first major final.