2021 Australian Open Quarter-Final – Serena Williams vs Simona Halep Preview & Prediction

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THE FACTS

Where is Serena Williams vs Simona Halep taking place? Melbourne Park, Melbourne

When is Serena Williams vs Simona Halep on and what time does it start? Tuesday 16th February, 2021 – not before 08:00 (UK)

Where can I get tickets for Serena Williams vs Simona Halep? Click here to reach the official 2021 Australian Open ticket selection

What channel is Serena Williams vs Simona Halep on? The 2021 Australian Open will be televised on Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedule for this specific match

Where can I stream Serena Williams vs Simona Halep in the UK? Sky customers can stream this match on the Sky Go app. Alternatively, the match can be streamed to subscribers of Eurosport Player, either on the official website or as an add-on to an Amazon Prime subscription

THE LOWDOWN

SERENA WILLIAMS

• World number 11 Serena Williams dropped her first set of the campaign to Aryna Sabalenka but came through to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with an assured performance.
• The 39-year-old has won seven of her 23 career Grand Slams so far at the Australian Open, including her most recent here in 2017 when she was secretly pregnant.
• Williams will have to balance her motivation well here with so much riding on this 12th career-meeting with Simona Halep and the additional vengeance element after their last match, a defeat for the American in the final of Wimbledon 2019.

SIMONA HALEP

• 29-year-old Simona Halep is through to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after overcoming a strong challenge from 2020 Roland-Garros champion Iga Swiatek.
• The Romanian is ranked at world number two right now in the WTA standings and made the semi-finals here last season before losing to Garbine Muguruza in straight sets.
• Halep has played just under an hour more on court at the Australian Open than her next opponent Williams and is on the wrong end of a 9-2 head-to-head record between them.

THE PREDICTION

It would be a true sporting fairy-tale for Serena Williams to win her most sought-after Grand Slam title, that elusive record-equalling 24th and first as a mother, here at the Australian Open four years after she won her last major whilst pregnant with her first child. There is so little left for the American to achieve in the game but matches like this against a tireless champion Simona Halep are so difficult for her to win at 39 years old - with all the will in the world. There is a sense that the 23-time Grand Slam champion can try too hard in these throwdowns, want it too much, over-extend and then fall to malaise too quickly. Whilst Halep played the match of her career to win the 2019 Wimbledon title off Serena, she is an absolute brick wall in the Slams and can never be out-worked. For world number 11 Williams to win this match, Halep needs an off day. She exhibited something like that against Iga Swiatek in the last round to edge through in three sets and that could be par for the course here. This match to go the distance is a good compromise in the markets between two champions you cannot count out. At a push, Simona Halep should have enough here but this one is up to the sporting Gods.