Defending champion Serena Williams advanced to her fifth Australian Open final and will put her 100 percent record here on the line against Justine Henin, who is only two tournaments into her comeback from retirement.
Both advanced over Chinese players on Thursday to set up a championship match involving two former Australian champions.
Top-ranked Williams wasted four match points before finishing off a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1) semifinal win with an ace against Li Na on Thursday, a day after her sister Venus lost to the Chinese player in the quarterfinals. (more…)
With two days to prepare, the weight of expectation on the fifth seed to end Britain’s 74-year wait for a male grand slam champion is likely to build.
Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic have succumbed, one way or another, to the physical demands of the modern game as the Australian Open fillets the strong from the strongest – and now hard questions will be asked again of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
A deliciously unpredictable start to the tennis year has been summed up by the current unseasonal weather here in Sydney – all cloud and thundercracks – mixed with record temperatures down the coast in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open.