One of the must-watch matches on Day 6 of the Australian Open 2019 is the third round face-off between former runner-up Venus Williams and the World No. 1 Simona Halep. Both have tasted Grand Slam glory and have been to the pinnacle of the world rankings, so this match will definitely be the cynosure of all eyes.
Their close head-to-head record suggests this is one very interesting match-up. Venus has a 3-2 edge over the Romanian but hasn't managed to win a match since 2013. Halep has won on both clay and hardcourts since then.
The rivalry has clearly gone the way of the current world no. 1 ever since she came into her own. Halep is now a more mature and a wiser player than she was in the early stages of her rivalry with the seven-time Grand Slam winner.
Having finally ended her Major trophy drought at Paris last year, Halep does indeed know now when to raise her level - something she displayed in abundance against Kaia Kanepi in the first round. Coachless as she might be right now, she hasn't forgotten what Darren Cahill, her former coach, taught her.
And that, along with her own instincts, helped her pass the test in the next round as well when she had to fight for another three sets to get a win.
Interestingly, Venus too needed three sets to notch up wins in each of her first two rounds. Both Venus and Simona are thus battle-hardy and would be ready to give their all in this clash.
Until and unless the 38-year-old Venus is able to find her fiery groundstrokes and cut down on her errors, Halep, being 11 years younger and with better defence, should be considered the favourite.
Here is all you need to know about the match:
Match: (1) Simona Halep vs Venus Williams
Date: 19. 01. 2019.
Round: Third
Time: Not before 7:00 pm AEDT or 1:30 pm IST; it is the first match on the Margaret Court Arena in the evening session.
Where to Watch Details:
India: Matches will be shown live on TV on Sony SIX, Sony SIX HD, Sony Ten 2, and Sony Ten 2 HD. Matches can also be streamed live on SonyLiv.
USA: ESPN2 and Tennis Channel.
Australia: Channel 9 - Wide World of Sports, 9Gem, and 9Now.
Europe: Eurosport TV channel and on the Eurosport Player live streaming service
All matches can also be streamed live on the official Australian Open website.
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