Serena Seeks Steffi’s Slam Total of 22 at Australian Open Late Friday

• Serena, 6-0 in Finals Down Under, Faces First-Time Finalist Kerber

History awaits Down Under as top-seeded Serena Williams seeks her 22nd Major title – tying her with Steffi Graf and the Open Era record (Margaret Court won 24) – against No. 7 Angelique Kerber in the Australian Open Championship on ESPN late Friday, Jan. 29, at 3:30 a.m. ET/12:30 a.m. PT.

• The 34-year old Williams – 6-0 in previous finals in Melbourne – has not dropped a set and has looked even more invincible in getting to this point than during her remarkable three-Major-titles 2015.
• Kerber, 28, has seven career titles. The 5’8” lefthander is making her first appearance in a Major final; she twice reached the semifinal round of a Major (US Open 2011, Wimbledon 2012). She is the first German woman in the Australian Open final in 20 years (Anke Huber, 1996).
• The two have only met six times (all on hard courts), with the American taking five, all in straight sets. Kerber’s lone victory was in Cincinnati in 2012 (quarterfinals).

Second Men’s Semifinal, Women’s Doubles Final Tonight

The second men’s semifinal will be live on ESPN tonight, late Thursday at 3:30 a.m., with No. 2 Andy Murray facing No. 13 Milos Raonic of Canada. Murray has two Major titles, but is 0-4 in Australian Open finals, including last year. With a win, Raonic would become the first Canadian male to reach a Major final. The two have split six previous encounters.

In addition, tonight at midnight, the women’s doubles championship will be contested on WatchESPN: top-seeded Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza will face Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.

All Courts on WatchESPN

In addition to all of ESPN’s linear networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, etc.), WatchESPN has every match from every court at the Australian Open, including the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles, the boys and girls divisions and the legends and wheelchair competitions through the championships.

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