Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams, Australian Open 2017: Time, TV schedule, and live stream women's final

For the ninth time in history, Serena Williams and Venus Williams will play each other in the final of a Grand Slam, this time at the 2017 Australian Open. It’s also the second time ever that Venus will play in the final of an Australian Open, a tournament she has never won. The last time she appeared in said final was 2003, when she lost to.. Serena Williams.

The Williams Sisters, aside from being two of the most dominant singles and — together — doubles players in the history of the sport, have had a healthy rivalry over the years. Serena is undoubtedly the more dominant player with 22 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, but Venus is no stranger to frustrating her younger sibling.

Venus and Serena have played each other 27 times in professional tournaments, with Serena holding a 16-11 edge in the rivalry. This is significant, but it’s also worth noting that there really isn’t another woman in tennis who could beat Serena 11 times in any situation. And up until she retires, there probably never will be.

Playing doubles together, they have won 21 titles, including 14 Grand Slam titles and three Olympic gold medals.

They have also played each other in eight Grand Slam finals, with Serena holding a 6-2 edge in that particular head-to-head. It’s kind of ridiculous to think that Serena would be at 24 titles, the most of any woman ever in the Open Era, if not for losses to her sister. To flip that around, Venus would potentially have six more titles to her name if not for Serena.

Overall in Grand Slam competition, Serena has the head-to-head edge at 9-5. On the hard courts, like the one in Melbourne, the rivalry is incredibly close, with Serena holding a 9-8 edge.

The last time they played each other was in the quarterfinals of the US Open, a match that Serena won. Venus last won in 2014 at the Rogers Cup.

To get to the finals, both women had to beat surprising semifinalists. Unseeded American CoCo Vandeweghe eliminated both Angelique Kerber, the top seed, and Garbine Muguruza, the seventh seed, en route to her three-set loss to Venus in the semifinals. Serena had another unseeded opponent in Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, though Serena took that match in straight sets.

The men’s doubles final will also take place on Saturday, following the conclusion of the women’s final, and will be broadcast on the Tennis Channel, with a live stream also available via WatchESPN. Below is all the information you need to watch the women’s final on Saturday.

How to Watch the Australian Open women’s final on Saturday

Time: 3 a.m. - 5:30 a.m. ET

Location: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

TV: ESPN

Online Streaming: WatchESPN

Watch Rafael Nadal vs. Grigor Dimitrov: Australian Open live stream, TV

Rafael Nadal will face Grigor DImitrov in the semifinal of the 2017 Australian Open on Friday.

Nadal reached the semifinal after beating Milos Raonic, while Dimitrov advanced past David Goffin.

Nadal, the No. 9 seed, is aiming to win his first Slam title since the 2014 French Open. Dimitrov, the No. 15 seed, has never reached the final of a Slam event.

The winner of Friday's match will face Roger Federer in the final after Federer beat Stan Wawrinka in the other semifinal.

See how to watch Friday's match below.

How to watch:

Location: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Rod Laver Arena

Time: 3:30 a.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live stream: You can watch the match online with WatchESPN.

Roger Federer vs. Stan Wawrinka Live Stream: Watch The Australian Open Semifinals Online

The Australian Open 2017 semifinals kicks off this Thursday with Roger Federer pegged once again to be the heavy favorite over compatriot Stan Wawrinka. The two renew their rivalry since meeting in 2011.

Federer won that one, winning in straight sets. A lot has however changed since that time with Wawrinka now ranked the fourth best in the world. An added motivation for Wawrinka is the fact that he has not performed well against compatriot Federer in their head-to-head.

Federer’s surprise Australian Open 2017 run
Roger Federer is a heavy favorite seeing he holds a commanding 18-3 lead over Wawrinka. The most notable of those three wins was the one in Roland Garros. But the situation is now different with Federer known to bring out his best during Grand Slams but with Wawrinka playing better in recent seasons.

Considering he is coming off injury, Federer’s Australian Open 2017 run surprises even himself. He didn’t see himself reaching this far since it was the first tournament since Wimbledon. Based on his previous matches, it seems that the Swiss continue to give out his best despite the long layoff.

The case is a bit different for Wawrinka. He took the rough route starting from day one. His match against Martin Klizan went the distance and such was considered a wakeup call. He has dropped only on set thus far though all that won’t matter when he meets Federer.

Federer faces the person he previously mentored
Federer and Wawrinka go a long way back. In fact, the two even teamed up to win the Davis Cup for Switzerland in 2014, a time which Federer associates with other recollections. That included mentoring Wawrinka who he adds is a good listener, The Herald Sun reported.

At some point, both went their separate ways. In the end, both eventually became rivals which makes the upcoming Australian Open 2017 match something to see.

Despite being ranked just No. 17 in the world, Federer is favored to win in four sets. Betting odds show 4/6 in favor of Federer and 5/4 for Wawrinka. The match starts at 3:30 a.m. ET, live on EuroSport, Sky Go, and WatchESPN.

2015 Brisbane International Tennis Women Single Final: M. Sharapova vs A. Ivanovic

Russia's Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic of Serbia won their semi-finals at the Brisbane International on Friday to set up a highly-anticipated showdown in the lead-up to this month's Australian Open.

 

Sharapova beat the talented Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-1 6-3 to reach the final without dropping a set while Ivanovic battled her way to a 7-6(2) 6-4 victory over American Varvara Lepchenko.

Sharapova beat Ivanovic in the 2008 Australian Open final and both women are in devastating form heading towards the first grand slam of the season, starting in Melbourne on Jan. 19.

 

Sharapova has dropped just nine games in her three matches to get to the final and showed no mercy against Svitolina, a rising star who won the 2010 junior French Open, as she reached her 56th WTA final.

 

"I expected her to play well. I think I did a lot of things good to try to take away her game," Sharapova said.

 

"In the end, it became a little bit more difficult. She became more free, went for her shots a little bit, a few unforced errors from my end, but overall I'm happy I stuck with it and finished the last point."

Ivanovic, who came from a set down to win her previous match, once again had to dig deep before seeing off Lepchenko after nearly two hours on the Pat Rafter Arena.

 

Lepchenko twice served for the opening set but Ivanovic broke back both times then won the tiebreaker.

 

In the second set, Ivanovic charged to a 5-1 lead before she got the wobbles, allowing Lepchenko to reel off the next three games before she finally sealed the win on her seventh match point.

 

"Definitely, (my) heart was racing a little bit, especially that it was really becoming a battle," Ivanovic said.

 

"Even though I was 5-1 up, still felt like a battle all the way through."

Ivanovic will be chasing her 16th WTA career title and her fifth in 12 months after she began her latest resurgence up the world rankings.

 

Currently ranked seventh, the 27-year-old is looming as one of the favourites for the Australian Open.

A former world number one who won her only grand slam title at the 2008 French Open, Ivanovic credits her return to form to finally learning how to cope with fame.

 

"I struggled to be in the spotlight. For me, this is something that took time to get used to because I was very shy," she said.

 

"It was really overwhelming for me and all the pressures. I always play tennis as a game and not all these pressures and expectations.

 

"I felt like I had no time to go to movies with friends, you know, and this is what every person needs. So I really feel since maybe year and a half I found this balance."

 

2015 ATP Brisbane International: R. Federer vs G. Dimitrov

Roger Federer saw what a trio of next generation grand slam contenders had to offer on Friday before putting on a show of his own, disposing of Australian wild card James Duckworth in 39 minutes to move into the Brisbane International semi-finals.

The top seed dropped only six points in a 16-minute first set, and won 6-0 6-1 without really breaking a sweat against world No.125 Duckworth - a vast contrast to his rusty, three-set opening win over John Millman the previous night.

"I had a great start to the match," Federer said. "I saved energy and stress and nerves.
"Yesterday was quite nerve-wracking and physically difficult because it was first match of the season. So I'm very happy I got it done quickly today."

The 17-time major winner will next meet Grigor Dimitrov, who progressed with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Martin Klizan, with Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic meeting in the other semi-final.

Federer and Dimitrov - nicknamed 'Baby Fed' - are often compared due to their styles, particularly the single-handed backhand, and they're both anticipating a tough contest.

"I'm aware of the challenge," Federer said. "He's clearly expecting big things from himself this year, I would assume.

"So, it's an opportunity for him more than for me, but I still think it's going to be a tough and good match for both of us."

Dimitrov has lost two previous matches to Federer - both in Basel - but is growing in confidence after rising to a career-high No.8 ranking last August.

"I'm always excited when I get to play a match like that against a player like that," Dimitrov said. "I have quite a bit of experience behind me now. I've learned from each match that I've played against him. I like my odds."

Nishikori, the US Open finalist, eased past Bernard Tomic 6-0 6-4, while Raonic endured more of a struggle against big-serving Sam Groth, winning 7-6(3) 3-6 7-6(2).

Groth got the only break of serve, in the second set, and hit more winners and more aces - 22 against 15 - than Raonic, who is rarely outperformed in that area.

Nishikori, Raonic and Dimitrov have yet to win a major title, but they're widely considered the new wave of future champions. They're all playing their first tournaments of the season in Brisbane, getting primed for the Australian Open beginning on January 19.

In Doha, David Ferrer defeated Ivo Karlovic 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 7-6(4) to make the Qatar Open final. Fourth seed Ferrer will play either third-seed Tomas Berdych or Andreas Seppi for the title.

There were no service breaks by Ferrer or Karlovic during their intense two hour 32-minute match. Ferrer lost his serve to trail 3-2 in the third-set tiebreaker. Karlovic lost the next two points on serve to set Ferrer up for the win.

Karlovic saved the first of two match points for Ferrer at 6-3 with a second-serve ace, his 30th of the match and 97th of the tournament. He improved his career tally to 9,092 aces, having surpassed Andy Roddick (9,074) to lie second only to Goran Ivanisevic (10,183); they are the only three players since 1991 to serve more than 9,000 aces.

 

International Premier Tennis League - Philippines

THE BIGGEST tennis event to be staged in the country officially opens today with the three-day Manila leg of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) unfurling at the Mall of Asia Arena.

An innovative tournament with tweaks introduced in scoring, tie-breaks and playing time, among others, the IPTL is expected to showcase top-level tennis play with some of the best players in the world in tow.

Far from the tennis bastions of London, New York and Paris, ties will be played in Manila, Singapore, New Delhi and Dubai, representing new frontiers for the sport.

But what most defines the Asia-focused IPTL is its adventurous format: team ties consisting of five one-set matches, with no advantages and the first to six games wins.

Tennis heads into a brave new era this weekend when the IPTL debuts its fast-paced, TV-friendly format which is already making waves in the sport.

Skepticism has mingled with curiosity in the build-up to the team event, which will dramatically shorten matches and aims to jazz up tennis as a spectacle by adding DJs and dancers.

In the IPTL four teams from four cities will compete in a series of round-robin matches for men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and a legend’s singles across four cities -- Manila, Singapore, Delhi and Dubai.

A 20-second shot-clock between points guarantees quick play, and at 5-5, players go into a timed shoot-out in which they must accumulate the most points before time is up.

Players can also call a “power point” once per set, meaning the next point will count double.

A winning prize of $1 million is at stake in the tournament, highlighting that it is a real competition and far from being an exhibition.

Representing Manila, known as the Mavericks, are five-time women’s Grand Slam singles champion Maria Sharapova of Russia, world top 10 player Andy Murray of Great Britain, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, Carlos Moya of Spain, Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, Daniel Nestor of Canada and Filipino-American Treat Huey. Huey serves as the team’s playing coach.

The Singapore Slammers feature Serena Williams of the United States, Nick Kyrgios and Patrick Rafter of Australia, Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic, and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia. Australia’s Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle serves as coach.

The Indian Aces, meanwhile, have the likes of Roger Federer of Switzerland, Gael Monfils and Fabrice Santoro of France and Ana Ivanovic of Serbia. Santoro is player-coach.

Lastly, the United Arab Emirates Royals include Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Eugenie Bouchard of Canada and Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia. South Africa Davis Cup coach John-Laffnie De Jager is at the helm.

Organizers, however, pointed out that for the first year the marquee players have limited commitment. Thus, some of them are not going to be present in all of the legs.

For the Manila leg, expected to see action are Sharapova, Murray and Williams.

Apart from the tournament proper, a series of tennis clinics will be conducted with the help of the visiting tennis stars.

INNOVATIVE

A brainchild of Indian doubles legend Mahesh Bhupati, the IPTL is a new wave tournament designed to make the game more fast-paced and attractive to tennis aficionados and even to those who are not.

Among the “changes” made for the tournament are players calling for a timeout in the middle of games, a running shot clock and a seven-point shootout, if needed, to decide winners of matches.

“The IPTL is different and something refreshing,” Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) vice-president and Asian Tennis Federation director Randy Villanueva told BusinessWorld in an interview.

He said they at Philta are involved on the technical side of the IPTL, which includes providing the ball kids, technical officials and assisting in the scheduled IPTL clinics.

Villanueva said they expect “interest in the sport to increase” with the IPTL and the many stars playing in it even as they view as a “very good sign” big companies getting involved in the staging of the event.

The entire IPTL competition in the Philippines will have two matches each day: 4 p.m. -- India vs. Singapore and 7:30 p.m. -- Manila vs. UAE (Nov. 28); 4 p.m. -- UAE vs. Singapore and 7:30 p.m -- Manila vs. India (Nov. 29); and 4 p.m. -- UAE vs. India and 7:30 p.m. -- Manila vs. Singapore (Nov. 30).

Ticket prices range from P2,900 for General Admission and P58,500 for VIP for the three-day pass. Tickets are transferable.

After the Manila leg, the IPTL will have stops in Singapore on Dec. 2-4, Delhi on Dec. 6-8, and Dubai on Dec. 11-13. 

ATP World Tour Finals 2014: Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic

FINAL SHOWDOWN: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Roger Federer will contest the 45th final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday. The duo, who have combined to win nine of the last 11 season-ending titles between them, meet for the 37th time and for the sixth time this season. 

Federer edges their FedEx ATP H2H series 19-17 and boasts a 3-2 record over Djokovic in 2014. It marks the first time in tournament history that two fathers have clashed in the final. It will also be the sixth time the world No. 1 and 2 have faced off in the title match and the fourth time in five years:

Once again, for the third consecutive year, Novak Djokovic is through to the final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, where he will meet one of his greatest rivals for the 37th time on the professional tour. The Federer-Djokovic rivalry extends back to 2006 and has reached a head-to-head record of 19-17.

The top seed faced the sternest test of his WTF campaign when he stepped across the court from an inspired Kei Nishikori. Djokovic, who came into this match having just been crowned the year-end No. 1 player, survived a mid-match lapse in focus to rebound and close out the contest in dominant fashion in the deciding set. The match ended 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 in 1 hour and 27 minutes.

Djokovic has now advanced his indoor streak to 31 consecutive wins, which date back to a 2012 loss to Sam Querrey at the Paris Bercy. He dropped a mere nine games in the round robin stage and lost his first set this week against Nishikori.

“I was fortunate because in the beginning of the third set, he had break points,” said Djokovic. “If he broke me, the match could have gone either way. I managed to find that little bit of strength and get a win today. Tomorrow is the last match of the season. Of course it’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world. This is already the biggest possible motivation. I will try to give everything I have.”

In what was undoubtedly the most enthralling match of the year-end championships so far this season, Federer and Wawrinka contested a three-set battle that featured an assortment of controversy, overrules, momentum shifts, and heartbreak, before Federer eventually struck the final blow for a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) score.

Having already contested five separate matches against each other this season, Djokovic and Federer are hardly strangers to the other’s game. Federer holds a 3-2 edge this season; however, both men showed slight weaknesses in their semi-final matches, making it near impossible to confidently predict a victor in tomorrow’s encounter. With Djokovic’s 31-match indoor streak on the line, he has proven to be the more consistent player on this surface.

2014 US Open Tennis

The 2014 U.S. Open is set to begin on Aug. 25 in Flushing Meadows, marking the fourth and final major tournament of the year. While a few players are considered to have a strong chance of winning the title, it’s a certainty that a new champion will be crowned when the finals take place on Sept. 8.

A wrist injury will prevent Rafael Nadal from participating, a year after he won the title for the second time in his career. Andy Murray is the most recent U.S. Open champion in the field, and he has the third-best odds of taking home the trophy.

Not surprisingly, the No.1 player in the world is favored to win it all. Novak Djokovic is the betting favorite, having won the event in 2011. Roger Federer is right behind, after domination the U.S. Open from 2004-2008. The two faced off in the finals at Wimbledon with Djokovic coming out on top in five sets.

The only way Djokovic and Federer can face each other this time around is in a finals rematch. Djokovic and Murray, the last two U.S. Open winners that are competing, could meet in the quarterfinals. The top ranked player’s side of the bracket doesn’t get any easier in the semifinals, where he could face Australian Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka, who has the fourth-best odds of winning the tournament.

On the women’s side, Serena Williams is expected to win her third straight U.S. Open title. Williams is looking for her first major victory in 2014, though she won four of the previous six Grand Slam events, before the start of the year. Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard are considered to be her biggest competition.

The first round for the men will last through the first three days of the tournament, while the women will move onto the second round by Day No.3. The schedule the men’s Round of 16 to begin on Labor Day and the women’s final to take place on Sept. 7, the second-to-last day of the tournament.