Australian Open 2020 Women's Semi-Finals: TV Schedule, Start Time, Live Stream

Only four women remain in pursuit of the first Grand Slam title of the year, with the singles competition at the Australian Open set for a dramatic finale. 

The two semi-finals will be played on Thursday, with a fascinating cast of players having made it to this stage.

In the first contest, top seed and home favourite Ashleigh Barty will face American youngster Sofia Kenin. Following that encounter is a mouthwatering showdown between fourth seed Simona Halep and a rejuvenated Garbine Muguruza.

Australian Open - Thursday Schedule (GMT)

Not before 3 a.m. - (1) Ashleigh Barty vs. (14) Sofia Kenin

Not before 4:30 a.m. - (4) Simona Halep vs. Garbine Muguruza

TV Info: Eurosport 1 (UK), ESPN 2 (U.S.), Tennis Channel (U.S.)

Live Stream: Eurosport Player (UK), ESPN Plus (U.S.) Tennis Channel Everywhere (U.S.)

Preview

It's never easy being the home player at a Grand Slam event, but so far Barty has dealt with the challenge of being the favourite well.

After some nervy moments in the first week of the competition she's settled down, with the win over Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals her best performance of the event so far. Here is what she had to say following the victory:

Per BBC Sport's Russell Fuller, Barty is the first Australian woman to make it to the semi-finals of this competition for 36 years.

Kenin will relish the opportunity to cause an upset, though, and given the pressure is squarely on her opponent, she can play with freedom on the Rod Laver Arena. This is already her best-ever Grand Slam performance and at 21 there will plenty more chances for her.

The second semi-final is another intriguing one, with Halep and Muguruza likely to put on a show for the fans.

Halep has arguably been the most consistent player in the women's draw this year, not dropping a set on the way to the last four. Per Eleanor Crooks of the Press Association, the Romanian is the only singles player to have a perfect record in all of their matches so far.

On Wednesday, she dominated Anett Kontaveit in the quarter-finals, taking just 53 minutes to win 6-1, 6-1. After coasting into the semi-finals, the fourth seed said she's feeling positive about her game at the moment:

Given her Grand Slam successes in recent years—Halep won the 2018 French Open and Wimbledon last summer—the Romanian has the form and the experience to go all the way in Melbourne. However, the same could be said about Muguruza.

The Spaniard endured a difficult 2019 and was unseeded for this Grand Slam. She's started 2020 in style, though, recapturing her best form and flying through to the final four in Melbourne with some dynamic displays.

In her quarter-final she edged past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, showing the composure and injections of intensity that helped her win the French Open and Wimbledon previously.

Muguruza appears to be improving as the tournament rolls on too. She won in three sets in her first two matches, although since then she has beaten the fifth, ninth and 30th seeds in two.