It's that time of the year again down under as the 2017 Australian Open is all set to kick off once again with a number of top tennis superstars set for action from round 1. The first major Grand Slam of the year is set to go on till January 29th and tennis fans from around the world will be eager for the tournament to get under way as the battle for the World No 1 spot between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic continues.
Also read: 2017 World tennis schedule
Romanian player and no 4 seed Simona Halep will take center stage at the Rod Laver Arena as she is up against American Shelby Rodgers. Following Madison Key's withdrawal from the Australian Open due to a wrist injury, the Williams sisters are the only seeded American women in the tournament. While Serena is set for action on day 2, her sister Venus will be in action on day 1 as she is set to take on the young Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova.
No 1 seed Andy Murray, who is still looking for his first ever Australian Open title after finishing runner up on 5 occasions, will take on Illya Marchenko. After finally becoming World No1 after being in the shadows for so long, the Scot will be determined to stay at the top of men's tennis. Murray, who usually competes at the Hopman Cup in preparation of Australian Open, decided to play at the Qatar Open instead where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the finals. If he were to meet the Serb during the course of the tournament he will be looking to avenge his loss.
Since winning the French Open in 2016, everyone thought Garbiñe Muguruza was the next big name in women's tennis, but the Spaniard has not been able to go to the next level since capturing her only Grand slam title. Her best performance in the Australian Open is when she reached the fourth round in 2014 and 2015 and this year she will be looking to do one better. But, first, she will have to get past Marina Erakovic of New Zealand.
Japan's top tennis player Kei Nishikori is also in action on day 1 a he will go head-to-head against Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia. After reaching the quarter finals on the last two occasions, the Japanese will be determined to do better this time as he is still looking for his major Grand Slam title. Controversial Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios is also in action on day 1 as he is set to face off against Portugal's Gastao Elias.
Gold medalist from the 2016 Rio Olympics, Monica Puig will be looking to make her mark in tennis in the coming years. She shocked the world after she defeated Angelique Kerber in the finals of the 2016 Rio Olympics and has shown she has what it takes to beat the best. She will face off against Patricia Maria Tig as she looks to win her first Grand Slam title.
Click here to check out the complete fixture list from day 1 of the Australian Open.
Where to watch
The first round action from the Australian Open is set to start at 11:00am local time (5:30am IST, 12:00am GMT, 7:00pm ET)
India: TV: Sony Six/ Sony Six HD. Live Streaming: Sony LIV
Australia: Seven
United Kingdom: Eurosport, BBC(highlights only)
USA: ESPN, Tennis Channel
UAE: beIN Sports
Spain: Eurosport
Hong Kong: Fox Sports Asia
International Live Streaming: ausopen.com
