Serena Williams of the United States speaks during a press conference, ahead of Saturday’s women’s singles final against Angelique Kerber of Germany at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016.
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– Angelique Kerber, who plays the mighty Serena Williams in the women’s final on Saturday. Kerber then backed up her victory with another straightforward win against Konta, ending the 24-year-old’s historic run, after Konta had earlier become the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal for 32 years.
Djokovic, a five-time champion at the Australian Open, advanced to his sixth final at Melbourne Park.
She, then, had been bidding to reach her second grand slam final after Wimbledon in 2012.
That loss in NY has obviously resonated in her preparations for Melbourne Park, where she has appeared completely focussed since a testing first round clash with Italy’s Camila Giorgi.
Kerber is going to need all the help and advice she can get against the imposing Williams who is in her 26th Grand Slam final after sweeping aside fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska easily.
They shouted with a decibel-rising roar of support for Radwanska when she broke Williams to level it at 3-3. I’m really looking forward to taking this challenge.
Williams, 34, has a 5-1 win record against Kerber and vastly more big match experience, but she is not underestimating the threat she faces.
“I thought she played unbelievable in that match”. “But I think against Roger, these first two sets have been probably the best two sets I’ve played against him overall throughout my career”.
Kerber said there was more pressure on Williams, who could join Steffi Graf in second on the all-time grand slams winners list with 22 titles.
Martina Hingis continued her remarkable second-coming as she teamed up with Sania Mirza to win another women’s doubles title.
“‘Nothing to lose” means I can go out there and try to play like I’m playing, without pressure”, the 28-year-old said.
Match point would look much like the others as Serena blasts a running volley to the corner, claiming center court as her own.
“I go out there, I don’t have anything to lose. I just remember her serving really well, her moving well, her being determined to win that”, she said.
Serena Williams says she wants to be consistent in her games as she attempts to equal Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Slam triumphs.
Kerber is the first German in the Australian final since Anke Huber in 1996, with Graf the last victor from that country in 1994. “Each time I come back… and step on Rod Laver Arena I have this handsome memory”. “I think I showed everybody that I deserve it. That’s a good feeling”. “I kind of just stay at home a lot”.
“I know my practices are better”.
“I think that was the best start I had of the year”.
The Australian great says “This is not a club that I’m a member of – it’s an open course”.
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“So I always get really excited”. The German is a similarly sturdy, defensive-minded retriever with a knack for making her opponents make mistakes, and she hits the same crouching groundstrokes that allow her to hold the baseline and dig out deep balls.
