MELBOURNE, Australia – The Latest from the Australian Open on Thursday (all times local):
4:40 p.m.
Seventh-seeded Angelique Kerber has ended the strong run of Johanna Konta at Melbourne Park, beating the British player 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals.Kerber, who has advanced to her first Grand Slam singles final, broke Konta's serve to open the second set and again in the fifth game to take a 4-1 lead.
She clinched the match in 1 hour, 22 minutes on her serve when Konta's backhand went long — her 22nd unforced error of the set.
The Sydney-born Konta was the first British woman to advance to a Grand Slam singles semifinal since Jo Durie at the 1983 U.S. Open.
Kerber will play Serena Williams in the final on Saturday. Williams, who will be seeking her seventh Australian title and 22nd major, beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0, 6-4 in the earlier semifinal.
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4:10 p.m.
Angelique Kerber has won the first set 7-5 in her Australian Open semifinal against Johanna Konta.
No. 7-seeded Kerber led 3-0 before Konta went on a four-game roll to get back into the set. Kerber broke Konta's serve in the 11th game, and held in the next to take the set in 49 minutes.
There was a brief delay when rain showers hit the court with the roof open before the 12th game. Ball boys and girls used towels to dry up a few water spots, and play resumed to allow Kerber to serve and take the set.
The winner will play Serena Williams in Saturday night's final.
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2:50 p.m.
Six-time champion Serena Williams has beaten Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0, 6-4 to advance to her seventh Australian Open final.
With the roof closed on Rod Laver Arena because of rain showers in the area, Williams broke Radwanska's service to open the match and was rarely troubled in the 21-minute first set.
The No. 4-ranked Radwanska broke Williams' serve to level the second set at 3-3, but Williams broke Radwanska's serve in the ninth game and closed with three aces and a forehand winner to win the match in 1 hour, 4 minutes.
Britain's Johanna Konta plays Angelique Kerber in the second semifinal, with the winner facing Williams in Saturday night's championship match.
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2:10 p.m.
Six-time champion Serena Williams has taken the first set 6-0 in her Australian Open singles semifinal against Agnieszka Radwanska.
With the roof closed on Rod Laver Arena because of rain showers in the area, Williams broke Radwanska's service to open the match and was rarely troubled in the 21-minute set.
The No. 4-ranked Radwanska had just one winner in the opening set — a forehand cross-court shot in the fourth game. Williams had 18 winners in the first set.
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12:35 p.m.
Jamie Murray and Brazil's Bruno Soares are through to the men's doubles final at the Australian Open after a 6-3, 6-1 win over the French team of Adrian Mannarino and Lucas Pouille.
Murray and Soares will play the winners of a later semifinal Thursday between Daniel Nestor and Radek Stepanek and Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers in Saturday's final.
Jamie Murray and his brother Andy are two of three British players in the later stages of this year's tournament.
Australian-born Johanna Konta, who now has British citizenship, plays a women's semifinal against Angelique Kerber on Rod Laver Arena after defending champion Serena Williams takes on Agnieszka Radwanska.
Andy Murray will play a men's singles semifinal on Friday against Milos Raonic.
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12:05 p.m.
Play is under way at the Australian Open on Thursday, with a men's doubles match involving Andy Murray's older brother Jamie providing a prelude to the women's singles semifinals.
Jamie Murray and Brazil's Bruno Soares are taking on the French team of Adrian Mannarino and Lucas Pouille in a semifinal on Rod Laver Arena.
Following that, defending champion Serena Williams will attempt to stay in the hunt for a seventh singles title when she plays Agnieszka Radwanska. Another British player, Johanna Konta, is in the other semifinal against Angelique Kerber.
The first men's semifinal between defending champion Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer is scheduled later Thursday. It will be their 45th meeting, and the series is tied at 22.
Andy Murray plays his semifinal on Friday against Milos Raonic.
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