Australian Open 2020, Semifinals, Ashleigh Barty vs Sofia Kenin, LIVE Score

08:38 (IST)

It is 37 degrees in Melbourne. Barty wouldn't mind that all that much. But it could affect the proceedings. 

For the first time this #AusOpen, focus has been on the heat stress rather than air quality.

If it hits 4.0 then a 10-minute break between the second and third sets is allowed in the women's semi-finals.

If it hits 5.0 the match would stop and the roof closed.#bbctennis pic.twitter.com/386xIK1VzA

— Jonathan Jurejko (@J_Jurejko) January 30, 2020

08:36 (IST)

On Sofia Kenin: One of the crucial tasks for Kenin will be to push Barty behind the baseline with her deep drives, and avoid making too many errors while she’s at it. Barty is a fabulous defender but she’s most comfortable when she’s playing a match on her terms, so Kenin could gain an upper hand if she can dictate the rallies from the middle of the court.

08:34 (IST)

On Ashleigh Barty: Barty is is the first Aussie - male or female - to reach the semi-finals of Australian Open since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005. For Ash, the challenge is not just about what has happened in the past but also what comes next, for her personally and for Australia.

08:24 (IST)

Sofia Kenin in an old footage where she talks about how she will face Andy Roddick's big, booming serve. She was just 7!

08:22 (IST)

Battle thoughts? Whatever that means, by Australian Open.  

Who will rise?@ashbarty and @SofiaKenin tussle in the semifinals. But first, share their perspective.

This is Battle Thoughts, presented by Canadian Club#AO2020 | #AusOpen | #canadianclub pic.twitter.com/oU3hgpDVWY

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2020

08:19 (IST)

Kenin's record against World No 1 players: 2-2

The American lost to Simona Halep in the second round here last year and later beat Naomi Osaka in Cincinnati. Her next two meetings have come against Barty

08:15 (IST)

Head-to-head

Barty holds a 4-1 career head-to-head record over Sofia Kenin, including victory in their last meeting (Wuhan)

Kenin's only win over Barty has come on a hard court: in Toronto last year. Yet, Barty holds a 2-1 advantage on hard courts

08:06 (IST)

Some factoids to get the ball rolling:

Ashleigh Barty is the first Australian woman to reach the semi-finals at this tournament since Wendy Turnbull 36 years ago.

She has been beyond the quarterfinals of a major only once: when she won at Roland Garros last year.

Kenin has reached this stage of the competition without having faced a seeded player.

08:01 (IST)

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Australian Open. Three singles semi-fianls are lined up for today. Local hero Ash Barty will take on Sofia Kenin in the first match while Simona Halep will clashes against unseeded Garbine Muguruza. Novak Djokovic is scheduled to play the great Roger Federer in the evening. 

 

Australia Open Thursday action preview: Defending champion Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will be playing each other for the 50th time when they meet in the semifinals at Melbourne Park. It's a blockbuster matchup between two men with a combined 36 Grand Slam trophies (Federer has a record 20, Djokovic 16), 13 Australian Open championships (Federer has six, Djokovic a record seven) 180 singles titles overall (Federer has 103, Djokovic 77) and 10 year-end No. 1 finishes in the ATP rankings (five apiece).

Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 26-23, with five in a row in matches at the majors, including their most recent meeting — in last year's Wimbledon final, where he saved two match points to beat Federer in a fifth-set tiebreaker.

So why hasn't Federer managed to win a Grand Slam match against Djokovic in eight years? Djokovic himself said he wasn't sure. "I know that whenever we get a chance to play each other, we understand it takes a big effort and it's required from us to come up with the best game in order to win against each other," Djokovic said. "Roger is Roger. You know that he's always going to play on such a high level, regardless of the surface. He loves to play these kind of matches, big rivalries, semis, finals of Grand Slams."

One key this time could be how Federer feels after dealing with a painful groin muscle while saving seven match points during a five-set quarterfinal win. While the other men's semifinal is not until Friday, both women's semis are Thursday: No. 1 Ash Barty vs. No. 14 Sofia Kenin, and No. 4 Simona Halep vs. unseeded Garbine Muguruza.

With AP inputs

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