2018 Australian Open finals: What to watch out for, where to watch, live stream details

Modified Jan 28, 2018 03:54 GMT

Federer and Cilic met in the finals of Wimbledon last year

Swiss ace Roger Federer will be chasing his 20th Grand Slam when he faces Croatian Marin Cilic in the finals of the 2018 Australian Open which will be contested at the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.

Federer, who made a rather easy entry into the finals after his opponent Hyeong Chung retired early in the second set of their semi-final, will be under the spotlight as a victory today will be his record-equaling sixth Australian Open victory.

The second-seeded legend, who overcame a stiff challenge from veteran Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals, benefited from an unfortunate injury to Chung. Cilic, on the other hand, beat Britain's Kyle Edmund to stake a claim for a spot in the finals.

The 36-year-old Swiss master will be the cynosure of all eyes when he takes on sixth-seeded Cilic in a match-up that promises to provide a lot of entertainment.

The fact that Federer, who has won 19 Grand Slam titles, is just one short of being the first ever male tennis player to collect 20 Grand Slams only heightens the importance of this match - and also adds extra pressure on Cilic.

Cilic on his part will be looking to extract revenge against the Swiss, who robbed him of the 2017 Wimbledon title. But going past the experienced star will not be an easy task.

What makes Cilic's path to claim the spoils tougher is that Federer has not dropped a single set in the whole tournament this far, which is an indication of his high fitness levels in addition to his ever-shining skills.

That said, the Croatian has dominated all his opponents right through his way to the finals and will be a stern test for Federer with his big serving and ability to cover both sides of the court at a quick pace.