Li, of China, advanced to the finals when she beat No. 2 Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinal match on Thursday, while the Belarus-born Azarenka defeated American teenager Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-4 in the other semifinal match to set up today's big final event for the Australian Open women's crown.
Azarenka and Li are no strangers to each other, having played each other nine times during their careers. Azarenka leads the series 5-4, but Li is 2-0 against Azarenka in both of their Grand Slam matches, which gives Li a considerable edge heading into the championship match today.
Azarenka was on fire in 2012, compiling a 48-3 record on her way to earning the ranking of the top female tennis player in the world last year. She won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last year, and has so far lost only once in her six matches at this year's tournament.
Li made history at the French Open in 2011 when she became the first Asian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title but has not had much luck since then, failing to make the quarterfinals in any Grand Slam tourney until the Australia event. Winning the open here might give her the bounce she needs to get a few more wins and rise in the rankings.
A champion with much to lose and a challenger with everything to gain make the high-stakes drama in Melbourne today even more tense.
Game Schedule
The Women's Final will air from 3 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday on ESPN.
Live Stream
For live steaming, click to the link for the Australian Open live match, available free via ESPN3.
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