Australian Open Heating up: Tonight- Nadal, Federer, Stephens, Azarenka & Murray in Action
Serena, Djokovic – with Nine Titles Down Under between Them – in Action Thursday Night
News, Features, Highlights and Previews Continue on espnW.com
The action on the courts is as hot as the 100-degree temperatures at ESPN’s 30th Australian Open in Melbourne with 100+ hours live on TV and 500 on ESPN3 where you choose the match you want to watch. Tonight (Wed., Jan. 15) at 9 p.m. ET, the 10-hour telecast will include former champions Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer; Americans Sloane Stephens, Christina McHale (vs. Caroline Wozniacki) and Jack Sock; plus Juan Martin Del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The 3 a.m. session has defending champ Victoria Azarenka and Andy Murray in action. In addition, the Williams Sisters and the Bryan Brothers both take to the court in doubles. Afternoon encores show the best of the overnight action. Thursday night (Friday down under), Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic – who have nine Australian Open titles between them – will be in action.
Tonight’s Matches starting at 9 p.m.:
(13) Sloane Stephens (USA) vs. Ajla Tomljanovic (SRB)
(10) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) vs. Christina McHale (USA)
(10) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)
Venus Williams (USA) & Serena Williams (USA) vs. (12) Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) & Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
(1) Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
(5) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) vs. Olga Govortsova (BLR)
(1) Bob Bryan (USA) & Mike Bryan (USA) vs. Paul Hanley (AUS) & Jonathan Marray (GBR)
Jack Sock (USA) vs. (25) Gael Monfils (FRA)
(6) Roger Federer (SUI) vs. Blaz Kavcic (SLO)
(5) Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) vs. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)
And at 3 a.m.:
(2) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE)
(4) Andy Murray (GBR) vs. Vincent Millot (FRA)
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Network | |
| Wed, Jan 15 | 9 p.m. – 7 a.m. | Early round play | ESPN2 | LIVE |
| Thu, Jan 16 | 3 – 6 p.m. | “ | ESPN2 | Same-day |
| 11 p.m. – 7 a.m. | “ | ESPN2 | LIVE | |
| Fri, Jan 17 | 3 – 6 p.m. | “ | ESPN2 | Same-day |
| 9 p.m. – 7 a.m. | “ | ESPN2 | LIVE | |
| Sat, Jan 18 | 9 – Noon | “ | ESPN2 | Same-day |
| 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. | Round of 16 | ESPN2 | LIVE | |
| 3 – 7 a.m. | “ | ESPN2 | LIVE | |
| Sun, Jan 19 | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | “ | ESPN2 | Same-day |
| 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. | “ | ESPN2 | LIVE | |
| 3 – 6:30 a.m. | “ | ESPN2 | LIVE |
espnW at the Australian Open
espnW continues its reporting from the Australian Open with videos and profiles on Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic – who “beat the Australian Open heat” by breezing through the second round – from Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic beat the Australian Open heat by breezing through the second round.espnW contributor Melissa Isaacson. Other highlights include how players are adjusting to the heat, Li Na advancing to the third round and a day four preview from Darren Cahill and Chris Evert.
ESPN.com tennis writer Greg Garber profiles Sloane Stephens and writes, “Her (Stephens) final match in Melbourne a year ago came on the grand, raucous stage of Rod Laver Arena. More than 15,000 jammed the lively venue wondering if Sloane Stephens could carve out another upset. But after stunning fellow American Serena Williams in the quarterfinals, the 19-year-old Stephens went quietly in her first career major semifinal, losing to Victoria Azarenka in straight sets. Her first-round match in 2014 was, well, not exactly all that.”
ESPN – All Four Slams, All In One Place
Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year. ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 – 1993), and Wimbledon since 2003, with exclusivity for live television with all other rights extended in a 12-year agreement starting in 2012. Exclusivity for the US Open in an 11-year agreement begins in 2015.
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