Serena Williams vs Angelique Kerber, Australian Open 2016 Final

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won their 36th straight match Friday and in the process claimed the Australian Open women’s doubles title. In 2011, she lost 11 consecutive first-rounders – but later that year made the US Open semifinals.

Williams, the defending champion, meanwhile, will match Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles if she wins a seventh title Down Under.

Only Angelique Kerber stands between the world number one American and a 22nd grand slam title, and good luck to the German.

“Steffi, write me please”, Kerber said jokingly in an on-court interview after advancing to the first Grand Slam final of her career. On Friday, Kerber revealed the details of that message.

The Briton held serve then hauled herself back into the match in a stellar fightback as she reeled off her third straight game in a row, capitalising as Kerber’s focus lapsed. Kerber, the first German woman to reach the Melbourne title decider in 20 years, subdued the British main draw debutante in 82 minutes.

Radwanska, 26, was in serious trouble with Williams attacking her vulnerable second serve, and a double fault left her flailing 0-3 behind.

Serena Williams will face Angelique Kerber in the Womens Final of the 2016 Australian Open and a win puts in the history books.

Surely not even Roger Rasheed’s life lessons will be enough to hoist Kerber towards an unlikely Grand Slam crown. “I don’t think anyone can really play on that kind of level at all”. “That was what was necessary against Roger, he’s been playing a high level here”. “I was trying to give everything today on court”. This is what I mean that I have nothing to lose.

Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova on Tuesday for the 18th time in-a-row to reach the Australian Open semifinals.

Kerber prevailed in the tie-breaker, and has not lost a set since then.

A former World No.2, Radwanska pulled up more soundly in the second set, leveling proceedings at 3-3 after falling behind an early break, and pushing Williams to produce her best tennis in the final game – which she opened with three of the eight aces she hit on the day.

She said: “The Safarova match in Singapore, that changed also a lot in myself, because I was telling me after this that I will never let the pressure again wins against me. had a lot of challenges here also in this tournament where I was really nervous”.

“I have to concentrate on myself now”, she told the German reporters.

“When she gets nervous she gets slower in her footwork and her unforced errors skyrockets and makes it possible for her opponents to come back in a match”.

The 34-year-old Williams was reminded at one news conference that when she played Graf in 1999, she referred to her as “Miss Graf”, out of respect.

“I’ve played an unbelievable first two sets but that’s what is necessary against Roger”. He’s the only guy that has been able to stop me as of late, and Stan (Wawrinka) when he was on fire when he was in Paris. “If I don’t win on Saturday, I’ll still be one off”, Williams said.

“For Angelique Kerber … to shake off the stress as quickly as possible, get her legs to move, try to hit as many balls as possible during the warm-up, enter the first point and try to forget it’s a Grand Slam final and just play like it’s a normal match because it’s the best way to deal with the whole pressure”.

Williams certainly looks refreshed – both physically and mentally. Kerber’s self-belief was fading in and out when she paid a visit last March to Graf in Las Vegas, where she and her husband, the fellow Hall of Fame member Andre Agassi, live with their two children.

Williams has taken plenty from her experience at Flushing Meadows a year ago, when she was expected to complete the grand slam before a shocking loss to Roberta Vinci in the last four.