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In search of his first Australian Open title since 2009, a scorching-hot Rafael Nadal will take on rising 20-year-old star Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first men’s semifinal at Melbourne Park.
For those in the United States looking to watch, the match will start early Thursday morning at about 3:30 a.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN. Fortunately, if you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, there are still a number of different ways to watch a live stream of the match on your computer, phone or streaming device. Here’s a rundown of your options:
No cable or internet login credentials necessary
In addition to an extensive on-demand streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN News.
You can start a subscription to “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the match on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
No cable or internet login credentials necessary
ESPN and ESPN2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle.
You can sign up for a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the match on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
ESPN Platforms
Requires cable log-in or participating internet service provider
Additionally, you can also watch the match on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the ESPN app.
For a simulcast of the ESPN broadcast, you’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch on the ESPN platforms. Additionally, the match will also be available on ESPN3, which you can watch if you’re logged in to a participating Internet Service Provider (ISP). If you don’t have a cable log-in or participating ISP, you can also sign up for Hulu or Sling TV and then use those credentials to sign in and watch the match on the ESPN digital platforms.
A replay of the match will be shown Thursday (6 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET) on the Tennis Channel, which is included in FuboTV’s “Sports Plus” add-on bundle.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the match on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a handy “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which will allow you to watch the match on-demand up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it.
Nadal vs Tsitsipas Preview
On the men’s side, no one has been more dominant at Melbourne Park over the last 10 days than Rafael Nadal, who is yet to drop a set through five matches.
The return game has been as good as expected from arguably the best returner in the history of the sport, as he has piled up 25 breaks and won 40 percent of receiving points, but his serve has been especially dominant. Since being broken twice by wild-card James Duckworth in the first round, Nadal has held serve for 54 consecutive games.
“I’ve been practicing during the whole off-season the serve and first shot, and during this event I’ve probably done it more times than ever – serve and winner with the first forehand,” said Nadal, who is appearing in his sixth semifinal at Melbourne Park. “That’s something that is very important for me, both today and if I want to keep playing for a few years. That gives me a lot of free points, and that’s so important at this stage of my career.”
Nadal has also made a habit of eliminating fan favorites over the past week-and-a-half. His first three wins were all over Australians, including a third-round triumph against rising 19-year-old Alex de Minaur, and in the quarterfinals he took down Frances Tiafoe, the 21-year-old American who was winning over crowds with his electrifying play and entertaining celebrations.
After wins over de Minaur and Tiafoe, Nadal gets another matchup with the future of the sport in 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas.
We’ve seen plenty of flashes of Tsitsipas’ talent already. Last year, he advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon, made his first Masters 1000 final in Toronto after an astounding run in which he beat Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Kevin Anderson, captured his first ATP win in Stockholm in October, and won the Next Gen Finals in November.
But he cemented his new star status this week when he took down six-time Australian Open champ Roger Federer in the fourth round.
“I think he’s definitely done a really nice job now the last year and a half,” Federer said. “I mean before that, too, obviously. But beating Novak in Toronto, the likes of Anderson and Zverev, now me here. That’s what you need to do to get to the next level. He’s doing that. It’s really nice for him. I see him definitely being high up in the game for a long time. That was a good night for him tonight.”
Tsitsipas has now compiled seven wins over Top-10 players since the start of 2018, and he’ll get a chance to add another when he takes on a scorching-hot Nadal.
But it was Nadal who put an end to Tsitsipas’ amazing run in Toronto last year with a 6-2, 7-6(4) win in the final, and if the Spaniard continues his current form, it’s hard to imagine anyone not named Novak beating him.
The winner will face either Djokovic or Lucas Pouille in the final.