Serena faces Kerber Grand Slam hurdle
World No1 leads pack separating US ace from record
World No1 Angelique Kerber spearheads a host of dangerous players looking to halt Serena Williams’ bid for an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open next week. The German left-hander stunned the US powerhouse at Melbourne Park in 2016, upsetting her in the final and eventually dethroning her as the world’s top-ranked player. That win sparked a memorable season for Kerber, who followed it up by claiming the US Open, where Williams crashed in the semifinals and has barely played since. But Kerber has not had a good start to 2017, falling to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the Brisbane International quarterfinals last week, then slumping out in round two of the Sydney International to the Russian teenager Darya Kasatkina. She remains upbeat as she prepares to mount her first Grand Slam title defence. "Grand Slams are always completely different," Kerber said. "It doesn’t matter how you play before." She goes into the tournament as top seed with Williams second, meani...
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