ORDER OF PLAY
Play starts 12 noon
HSIEH Su-Wei (TPE) / Barbora STRYCOVA (CZE) [1] v Ashleigh BARTY (AUS) / Kiki BERTENS (NED)
Not before 2pm
Madison KEYS (USA) [8] v Karolina PLISKOVA (CZE) [2]
MATCH POINTS
Madison Keys and Karolina Pliskova have never faced each other previously.
Pliskova is the defending champion, having won the tournament last year by defeating Lesia Tsurenko, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. She also won the title in 2017 and is bidding to become the first player to win it three times.
Keys could become just the second American player to lift the trophy. Serena Williams has done so twice, in 2013 and 2014.
No.8 seed Keys dropped her first set of the week against Petra Kvitova, the 2011 champion, in Saturday’s semifinal but came back to win, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Kvitova was the first seeded player Keys had faced this week.
Pliskova also had to come from behind in the final four, securing a thrilling 6-7(10), 7-6(3), 6-2 win over No.3 seed Naomi Osaka in a match that lasted two hours 51 minutes and was a repeat of last year’s Australian Open semi.
Earlier this week, the Czech was also taken to three sets by Ajla Tomljanovic.
Keys has won four of her last six matches against Top 5 players, with all these matches coming on hard courts.
Pliskova won all eight of her matches against American players in 2019.
