ORDER OF PLAY
Play starts at 5pm
STADIUM
1 S WILLIAMS (USA) v J PEGULA (USA)
30 minutes after ceremony
S WILLIAMS (USA) & C WOZNIACKI (DEN) v A MUHAMMAD (USA) & T TOWNSEND (USA)
MATCH POINTS
Serena Williams and fellow American Jessica Pegula meet for the first time on the WTA tour.
Pegula dropped her first set of the tournament in the semifinal victory over Caroline Wozniacki, while Williams' sole dropped set of the week came against another American, Christina McHale, in the second round.
Both finalists have beaten one seed to reach the final, Williams overcoming No.3 seed Amanda Anisimova in the last four and Pegula accounting for fifth seed Wozniacki at the same stage.
Williams is playing the event for the second time, having reached the second round in 2017. Pegula is making her debut at the competition.
Sunday's final will include the first American winner of the event since Lauren Davis three years ago. That success represented a third successive US triumph in New Zealand, following wins for Venus Williams (2015) and Sloane Stephens (2016).
Four of the last eight finals have gone to three sets, including last years - when Julia Goerges retained her crown with a win over Bianca Andreescu.
WEATHER
Warm and sunny, with a maximum temperature of 23C/73F.
