Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid EmailThe Australian Open gets underway with a bang on Monday, with last year's finalist Venus Williams taking on resurgent Swiss talent Belinda Bencic in a much-anticipated clash of generations on Rod Laver Arena's centre court. In a sign of Williams's astonishing longevity, 20-year-old Bencic was just a toddler when the American won the first of her seven grand slam titles at Wimbledon in 2000. With new mum Serena absent this year and the women's tournament wide open, Venus may be as good a chance as any of her rivals to win her first grand slam since Wimbledon in 2008. The 2009 men's champion Rafa Nadal, who was beaten in a classic five-set final by long-time rival Roger Federer last year, headlines the evening session at Rod Laver Arena with a first round match against Dominican journeyman Victor Estrella Burgos.

Source: Daily Mirror January 14, 2018 21:10 UTC