Australian Open 2015 Women's Semifinal: TV Schedule, Start Time, Stream Info

Day 11 of the 2015 Australian Open will be semi-finals day in the women's competition. First up is the all-Russian affair pitting Ekaterina Makarova against World No. 2 Maria Sharapova. That's followed by top seed Serena Williams meeting fellow American Madison Keys.

Here's the schedule and viewing information for both matches:

Match	Start Time	TV	Live Stream
Ekaterina Makarova vs. Maria Sharapova	2:30 a.m. (GMT)	British Eurosport / The Tennis Channel, ESPN2	Eurosport Player / ESPN3
Serena Williams vs. Madison Keys	8:00 a.m. (GMT)	British Eurosport / The Tennis Channel, ESPN2	Eurosport Player / ESPN3

Makarova Eyeing Another Upset

Makarova won't mind being expected to lose to her more illustrious opponent. That's the same position she was in at the quarter-final stage. But the 10th seed scored an upset when she vanquished third seed Simona Halep in straight sets.

Andy Brownbill/Associated Press

Makarova stood tall against Halep's serve, claiming five out of six break points. She was also unerring at the net, coming off the baseline to hit a quartet of valuable points, per the IBM SlamTracker.

Despite how well Makarova played, Sharapova will present a tougher challenge. The latter gave plenty of proof of that during her straight-sets demolition of Canadian Eugenie Bouchard.

Sharapova swept her opponent aside 6-3, 6-2. That's ominous form from the second seed. 

For her part, Makarova believes an all-Russian semi-final is proof of the country's current strong standing in the sport, per ESPNW.com writer Jim Caple.

"I think we're still in a great level" she said. "Like Maria—she is showing the best tennis for a long time. Kuznetsova also. We have some really good girls, the juniors that are coming up, so I think we'll still be here on the top level."

But perhaps this will be one match too far for Makarova after her last-eight heroics.

Can Keys Upset Another Williams Sister?

Unseeded Madison Keys' victory over Venus Williams has to be one of the performances of the tournament. The 19-year-old got past the decorated veteran despite dropping the second set, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, per Sports Illustrated writer Courtney Nguyen.

ESPN pundits Mary Joe Fernandez and Pam Shriver credited Keys' perseverance and attacking approach, via ESPN's official Twitter feed:

"

How did young American Madison Keys overcome an in-form Venus Williams? Our #ESPNTennis analysts break it down - http://t.co/UtvCD0OZfu

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 28, 2015"

Keys should be commended for playing through a leg injury she suffered during the second set. She recounted the moment, per BBC Sport: "It was kind of scary but luckily I was able to catch it before I did any real damage to it."

The prospect of facing the World No. 1 after knocking her older sister out of the tournament might be scarier still. The younger Williams reacted to Keys' win with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Dominika Cibulkova.

The Sports Illustrated Twitter feed offered particularly strong praise for Williams' performance:

In this context, it's difficult to believe Keys will be able to repeat the performance that eliminated Venus. Keys will have to handle the serve and volley game of the tournament's top seed.

Expect the younger Williams to gain a measure of revenge for her sibling's defeat. It's also tough to believe Makarova will replicate the form that beat Halep and see off Sharapova.

So expect the two best players in the women's game to fittingly square off in the final, even if this tournament hasn't been short of a few upsets.