Australian Open order of play, Day 11 - Ash Barty the star of the show, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in spotlight
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ByEurosport
Published 26/01/2022 at 17:35 GMT
It's the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the women on Thursday, and Ash Barty will be fying the flag for the home nation on Rod Laver Arena against Madison Keys. Stream the 2022 Australian Open live and on demand on discovery+. A subscription for discovery+ is now £29.99 for the first year for UK users, down from £59.99.
Ash Barty
Image credit: Getty Images
The Australian Open is getting down to the business end, with the women taking centre stage for the semi-finals.
Both matches will take place in the evening, so expect a raucous crowd on Rod Laver Arena as home favourite Ash Barty takes on Madison Keys. Following that clash, Danielle Collins faces off against Iga Swiatek.
While the singles will be the main focus, Australian fans will be in for a treat in the afternoon as Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis take on Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the semi-finals of the men’s doubles. Expect fireworks.
Top Match - Barty takes aim at final
No. 1 seed, Barty has been carrying the weight of a nation on her shoulders. The 25-year-old has major wins at Roland Garros and Wimbledon on her CV, but she has never been able to get the job done in Melbourne.
Her run to the semi-finals in 2020 was the closest she has come, but will fancy her chances of getting over that hurdle this time round.
Barty and Keys have met on three occasions, with the Australian emerging victorious twice. They have not played since the French Open in 2019, but on current form the No. 1 seed is the overwhelming favourite.
Potential Upset - Kyrgios and Kokkinakis to ride the wave
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis may not be winning many friends in the locker room, the former was labelled an absolute k**b by Michael Venus following a testy match in the quarter-finals, but they have the crowd firmly on their side.
They will go into their semi-finals as the underdogs against the No. 3 seeds, but if the Australian pair can keep it close early then the crowd could swing the match in their favour.
Next Gen Watch
Taylor Fritz served notice that American men’s tennis is ready to climb out of its slump with his excellent performances in Melbourne. Further down the age bracket, Bruno Kuzuhara is making waves and he is looking to live up to his billing as No. 1 seed in the junior boys’ event. The 17-year-old takes on Edas Butvilas in the quarter-finals.
Brit Watch
Joe Salisbury is last-man standing for the Brits, and he and partner Rajeev Ram face Australian pair Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the men’s doubles semi-finals.
Order of Play, Singles - Thursday January 26, 2022
Rod Laver Arena
From 8:30am GMT
Asy Barty (AUS) [1] Madison Keys (USA)
Danielle Collins (USA) [27] v Iga Swiatek (POL) [7]
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Stream the 2022 Australian Open live and on demand on discovery+. A subscription for discovery+ is now £29.99 for the first year for UK users, down from £59.99
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