Australian Open 2016, Serena Williams vs Maria Sharapova: Where to watch live, preview and betting odds

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova meet in the latest instalment of their long-running rivalry for a place in the Australian Open's final four on Tuesday 26 January. The winner will go on to face either Agnieszka Radwanska or Carla Suarez Navarro in the semi-final.

Where to watch live

The quarter-final match starts at 1.45am (GMT) with live coverage available on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 1HD. Live scores and updates will also be available through the official Australian Open website.

Overview

Williams has carved her way through each opponent standing in her way of retaining the Australian Open so far. With so many possible contenders for the crown already out, it's fair to say this is her's to lose. Sharapova will be looking to ensure that happens by ending her hoodoo against the American. While these two share the biggest rivalry in women's tennis, their head-to-head record depicts a very one-sided history, with Williams leading 18-2. Sharapova's last victory came in 2004, having failed to come out on top in their last 17 meetings. 34-year-old Williams has huge incentive to widen the gap between the two icons of women's tennis however with Steffi Graf's haul of 22 Grand Slams titles within her grasp. Victory in Melbourne will equal that.

Williams tore through Margarita Gasparyan in just 55 minutes to book her place in this quarter-final in what was another easy afternoon for the defending champion on Sunday. Sharapova meanwhile was made to work a little harder for her place but secured a 7-5 7-5 win over Belinda Bencic.

Betting odds (via William Hill)

Serena Williams win – 2/9

Maria Sharapova win – 10/3

Head-to-head

Williams has dominated previous encounters between the two, leading 18-2. Williams won their last encounter 6-2 6-4 in the 2015 Wimbledon semi-finals.