MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – The Latest on Saturday from the Australian Open (all times local):
8:20 p.m.
After a nervous start, Serena Williams has won the first set against her sister, Venus, 6-4, in the final of the Australian Open.
Serena Williams looked off her game at the start, dropping serve twice to open the set. She double-faulted three times in the fourth game of the match to allow Venus to pull even again at 2-all.
Venus Williams had trouble holding serve, as well, getting broken three times. The players combined for 29 unforced errors in an uneven set.
Serena Williams took out her frustrations on her racket at one point, slamming it to the court after slipping in the back-court and nearly snapping it in half.
Serena Williams is trying to win her 23rd Grand Slam title, moving one past Steffi Graf to set a new record in the Open era. Venus Williams is back in the final of the Australian Open for the first time since 2003.
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3:35 p.m.
Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk has duplicated the feat of Croatian Mirjana Lucic 20 years ago when she won the Australian Open girls singles title.
Kostyuk, who’s 14, utilized her powerful ground strokes to outlast top-seeded Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday.
Lucic-Baroni, a surprise women’s singles semifinalist this year, was also 14 when she beat Germany’s Marlene Weingartner 6-2, 6-2 in the 1997 Australian junior final.
Kostyuk, who broke Masarova’s serve in the ninth game of the final set, is the first Ukraine player to win the Australian Open girls title.
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3:25 p.m.
Marta Kostyuk has won the Australian Open junior girls title with a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 win over top-seeded Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland on Saturday.
The 14-year-old from Ukraine broke Masarova’s serve in the ninth game of the final set, then held her serve in the 10th, clinching the match on a forehand.
In an evening match, Serena Williams was scheduled to play her sister Venus in the women’s final. A win by Serena would be her 23rd major title, breaking the Open-era record of 22 that she held with Steffi Graf.
In the men’s doubles final, American twins Bob and Mike Bryan looked to win their seventh Australian title when they played Henri Kontinen of Finland and Australian John Peers.