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After a disappointing end to the 2019 season, World No. 3 Simona Halep will hope to get her 2020 campaign off to a positive start in Melbourne.
Halep looked to be building up a head of steam following her Wimbledon triumph last year but injuries towards the back end of the season meant she struggled to maintain her stellar form.
Shock losses to Taylor Townsend and Ekaterina Alexandrova in the US Open and Beijing respectively were followed by defeats to Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova in the WTA Finals as Halep ended 2019 with a whimper.
She looked well off the pace in Adelaide last week as well, falling to a disappointing defeat to Aryna Sabalenka. However, the Romanian enjoys the conditions in Melbourne and is known to step her game up in the Grand Slams.
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The likes of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have dominated the headlines in the lead up to the first Grand Slam of the year, but Halep remains one of the dark horses to go all the way.
However, she will first have to get past hard-hitting American Jennifer Brady, who has the tools at her disposal to pull off an upset. Brady has wins over the likes of Ash Barty and Maria Sharapova to her name this season and is riding a wave of confidence.
She will also take heart from the fact that she took Halep the distance when they locked horns in Toronto last year, ultimately succumbing in a final set tie-break.
The 24-year-old made the fourth round of the Australian Open back in 2017 and will hope for an encore this time around.
Here is all you need to know about the Australian Open 2020 Schedule:
Tournament Name: Australian Open 2020
Date: January 20 - February 2, 2020
Category: Grand Slam
Location: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Surface: Hard Court
Prize Money: A$ 71,000,000
Time: [4] Simona Halep vs Jennifer Brady on Margaret Court Arena not before 1:30 PM IST on January 21, 2020
Where to watch Australian Open 2020?
USA - ESPN and ESPN2
UK and Europe - Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, Eurosport 1 HD and Eurosport 2 HD
India - Sony Six, Sony Ten 2, Sony Six HD and Sony Ten 2 HD, Sony Ten 3 (matches with Hindi commentary)
Live Stream details for Australian Open 2020
Australian Open 2020 live stream will be available on Tennis TV (a subscription is needed for the service).
Matches can be streamed live on SonyLiv.
