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Before each day's play at the Australian Open, we'll preview must-see matches.

The blockbuster men’s semifinal was supposed to be Nadal’s 39th meeting with Roger Federer. But what we got instead, Nadal’s third meeting with Tsitsipas, suddenly seems every bit as popcorn-worthy. Over the course of just 10 days, Tsitsipas, the conqueror of Federer, has become the story of the tournament and a star in his own right.

Can he make lightning strike twice? Nadal is 2-0 against Tsitsipas; both wins came in 2018, in Toronto and Barcelona, and both were in straight sets. Just as he always has with Federer, the Spaniard enjoys a simple, natural advantage against the Greek: He can swing his lefty serve and forehand crosscourt into Tsitsipas’s one-handed backhand. Plus, while Tsitsipas has obviously looked very good so far at this tournament, Nadal, who is 15-0 in sets and serving as authoritatively as he ever has, has looked better than anyone.

Yet none of that is a reason to write Tsitsipas off. He put a scare into Nadal when he took the second set to a tiebreaker in Toronto, and if he has proven anything in Melbourne, it’s that he can take a punch and answer with a flurry of his own jabs, until he eventually records a TKO. All five of Tsitsipas’s wins have come in four sets, which tells us something about his mental resilience. But just because he beat Federer doesn’t mean we should pick him to beat Nadal, too.

Winner: Nadal

What's next for Pliskova? A look at her upcoming match against Osaka

What's next for Pliskova? A look at her upcoming match against Osaka

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The blockbuster women’s semifinal was supposed to be Osaka vs. Serena Williams, before Pliskova came back from 1-5 and match point down in the third set to beat Serena, in what will surely go down as one of the strangest matches of 2019. There’s no denying it: Osaka vs. Pliskova isn’t going to get the ratings that a rematch of last year’s now-legendary US Open final would have. But for fans of aces, winners, and players who are in the process of fulfilling their potential, it should be an intriguing contest.

Like the other women’s semifinal, it’s also a hard one to call. Osaka and Pliskova have completed two matches against each other, and each has won one. Osaka surprised Pliskova at Indian Wells last spring, but she didn’t surprise her again in the Tokyo final last fall. As for their current form, Osaka played her best, most domineering tennis of the tournament to run away with her quarterfinal against Elina Svitolina, while Pliskova made the most of her opportunity after Serena tuned her ankle while serving at 5-1. Osaka has the Grand Slam title in her pocket, but Pliskova is 10-0 in 2019.

Osaka may have two advantages: (1) She’s a better defender; and (2) she had the quicker, and much less emotionally draining, quarterfinal on Wednesday, which should make it easier for her to make the one-day transition on Thursday. Winner: Osaka

Winner: Osaka

How do you pick a winner between two players who look like they can’t lose? Kvitova has won 10 straight matches, hasn’t dropped a set in Melbourne, and is playing with more focus and foot speed than at any time in her long career. On the other side of the net, Collins has worked up a seemingly unstoppable head of steam—and scream—in her five Aussie Open matches. Twice the 25-year-old Floridian has been on the verge of what appeared to be an inevitable defeat, to Julia Goerges and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and twice she has, almost literally, stormed back to win in three. While Kvitova has put the clamps down on her opponents with her serve and return, Collins has battered down any walls her opponents have put up with her roundhouse two-handed backhand.

If you’re looking to their head-to-head history for an idea of who to choose, that won’t help, either. They’ve played once, three weeks ago in Brisbane, and Kvitova survived in three sets, two of which went to tiebreakers. All we know is that there will be punches thrown and shrieks unleashed, and that this should be must-see TV for fans. Either woman could win, but I’ll take the woman who has been in this position—a Grand Slam semifinal—and won before.

Winner: Kvitova

What's next for Pliskova? A look at her upcoming match against Osaka

What's next for Pliskova? A look at her upcoming match against Osaka

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Kick off each day of the 2019 Australian Open with Tennis Channel Live, reviewing the day’s most important news and previewing the day’s biggest matches.

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