Serena Williams
Serena Williams and older sister Venus pose with the Australian Open ball kids ahead of their final clash on Saturday (28 January) Getty

Serena Williams will take on older sister Venus in the final of the women's singles at the 2017 Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday (28 January).

Where to watch live

The game is set to start 8.30am GMT. Live coverage of the game is available on British Eurosport, Eurosport 1 & 2. Live scores and radio commentary are available on the official site of the Australian Open.

Overview

Serena Williams is looking to become the first woman in the Open Era to win 23 Grand Slam titles; she is now tied with Steffi Graf, who won 22 titles during her career. The 35-year-old will take on her older sister Venus in the final, their ninth meeting in the summit clash of a major tournament. They last met in a Grand Slam final at the 2009 Wimbledon championships when Serena won in straight sets.

Venus has won just once in their last eight meetings and will be the underdog going into the match. The Williams sisters have dominated the women's game for almost two decades amassing a combined 61 Grand Slam titles between them including ladies doubles and mixed doubles. Apart from the tour, they have also won gold medals at the Olympic Games – Venus won the singles gold at the Sydney games in 2000, while Serena captured the individual gold at the London Olympics. They have also both won the doubles gold on three occasions in 2000, 2008 & 2012.

Serena was one of the favourites coming into the tournament and has marched on in commanding fashion without losing a single set thus far. Venus, on the other hand, ranked 17 in the world, was not touted among the favourites to make it to the latter stages of the competition, but turned back time when she beat fellow American Coco Vandeweghe in three sets in the semi-finals – the first time she lost a set in her run-up to the final.

Prediction – Serena to win in straight sets

Betting odds (Betfair)

  • Serena win: 1/6
  • Venus win: 4

Head-to-head

The sisters have faced each other 27 times during their career with Serena holding a 16-11 advantage over Venus. They have played each other eight times in Grand Slam finals, with the younger sibling holding a 6-2 advantage going into their ninth finals. Their last meeting was in the quarter-finals at the US Open when Serena won in three sets.

Australian Open