W2W4: Williams sisters, Federer one step away from Aussie final
— -- MELBOURNE, Australia -- Today isn't officially called Super Thursday at the Australian Open, but given the storylines in play, it could be.
Unseeded Coco Vandeweghe and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni have both ridden a string of stunning upsets into the Australian Open semifinals. But now each of them needs one more shocker to prevent? Serena?and Venus Williams from playing their first all-sisters major final since 2009.
This is also only the third time in the Open era that three of the four women's semifinalists at a major have been over age 30. Vandeweghe is the outlier at age 25.
In the men's draw, Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka faces past good friend and countryman Roger Federer in the men's semifinals. Here's how you can catch all the action:
How to watch every match
The women's semifinal matches begin on ESPN2, WatchESPN & the ESPN app at 9:30 p.m. ET. Click here to watch.
The men's semifinal match between No. 4 Stan Wawrinka and No. 17 Roger Federer begins Thursday at 3:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2, WatchESPN & the ESPN app. Click here to watch.
To view starting times for upcoming days, click here.?
Where to get tournament live scores
Our real-time scoreboard, updated stats and social handles can be found all in one spot: Australian Open CourtCast.?
Schedules
To view a full schedule of Day 10 at the Australian Open, click here.?
Day 11 quarterfinal matchups?
No. 13 Venus Williams versus CoCo Vandeweghe, 9:30 p.m. ET on Rod Laver Arena ( Watch)
The case for Williams: Williams has a ton of motivation, not just the game. At 36, she can't be sure how often she'll get this deep in a major tournament again, let alone have another chance to perhaps meet her sister, Serena, in the final. Her experience should help her against Vandeweghe, who's making her first major semifinal appearance. It will be crucial for Venus to serve well and limit her unforced errors, because Vandeweghe has the ability to play quick points and hit winners.
The case for Vandeweghe: Vandeweghe admitted to being "nervous and scared" before her quarterfinal, but she also believes, "Maybe I play better that way." Vandeweghe has the power and serve to slug it out with Williams, and she's on an impressive 7-1 tear against her past top 10-ranked opponents. A win against Williams would be Vandeweghe's third consecutive victory over a former Grand Slam champ. She already has taken out top-ranked Angelique Kerber and Garbine Muguruza, the defending French Open champ.
Serena Williams versus Mirjana Lucic Baroni, following Williams-Vandeweghe ( Watch)
The case for Williams: You mean, the case other than she's the best player in the history of the game? How about this: Serena rarely gets the chance to play an unseeded opponent this deep in a tournament. She's also trying again to break an Open era tie with Steffi Graf and win her 23rd career major. When Serena looks across the net at Lucic-Baroni, she'll see an opponent who wore three wraps on her legs while winning her semifinal against Karolina Pliskova because the wear of her long tournament run is taking its toll.
The case for Lucic-Baroni: The quick courts here suit Lucic-Baroni, and her terrific return-of-serve game should help her hang against Williams' world-best serve. Given a chance to tee up her powerful forehand, she consistently hits winners. If you believe some things are just meant to be, the 79th-ranked Lucic-Baroni is your pick. She is 34 now and making her second career major semifinal appearance 17 years after her first. Her promising career was derailed when she fled her abusive father/coach at age 18. But she never gave up.
No. Stan Wawrinka versus Roger Federer, Thursday, 3:30 a.m. ET on Rod Laver Arena ( Watch)
The case for Wawrinka: He's notorious for having some shaky starts in tournaments, then morphing into one of the best closers in the game when he gets to a final. This tournament has been the same. Wawrinka is not as celebrated as a member of the Big Four like top-ranked Andy Murray, but the Swiss could pass Murray for career Slam titles, 4 to 3, if he can win this tournament. In the past, his power has bothered Federer. And no rival knows Federer better.
The case for Federer: Federer's six-month break from the tour to heal completely from knee surgery has seemed to accomplish everything the 35-year-old Federer hoped it would. He has returned looking refreshed, impressively fit and on top of his game. He also has had luck. A draw that originally looked foreboding took a drastic turn when Murray was upset on his side of the bracket. Still, Federer masterfully disassembled Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori and Mischa Zverev in his past three matches. Just vintage stuff.
