The tournament tree has finally been whittled down to the final two in both the Ladies and Men’s singles draw at the Australian Open as we prepare for mouth-watering finals that will see the 2018 champions crowned in Melbourne this weekend.
Ladies Singles Final:
Simona Halep (1) Vs. Caroline Wozniacki (2)
Saturday, January 27th 8:30am GMT
SIMONA HALEP (ROM) vs CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (DEN)
Ladies first. So, a new winner will be crowned in 2018 after the number 1 seed Simona Halep defeated the last remaining previous winner, Angelique Kerber, in the second semi-final played yesterday to reach the last two at the Rod Laver Arena for the first time after reaching the finals twice previously at the French Open in 2014 and 2017. Her opponent in Saturday’s final will be the number two seed who navigated the opposite side of the draw with consummate ease as she only dropped two sets in her five matches in the tournament to reach her first-ever Grand Slam final. This will be the seventh time that the pair will face-off against each other. Wozniacki has won the last three meetings between them on a trio of different surfaces since 2015 and will surely be fancying her chances against Halep once again this weekend.
Men’s Singles Final: Marin Cilic (6) Vs. Roger Federer (2)
Sunday, January 28th 8:30am GMT
MARIN CILIC (CRO) vs ROGER FEDERER (SUI)
Five-time winner on the hard courts in Melbourne, Roger Federer, looks well on course to add a record sixth crown to his name this weekend. He was handed a place in the final after Chung Hyeon, the first-ever Korean to appear in a Grand Slam semi-final, was forced to retire with blisters midway through his second set against the Swiss Maestro. His opponent on Sunday will be Marin Cilic who in reaching his first Australian Open final has had his fare share of luck along the way. Number 2 seed and one of the pre-tournament favourites Rafa Nadal retired from their quarter-final matchup two games into the fifth set with the match locked all square. The 2014 US Open winner’s sole victory over Federer in nine attempts came in the semi-finals of that competition on his way to lifting the trophy at Flushing Meadows.