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Seven-time Australian Open winner Serena Williams continues her quest towards yet another Grand Slam title when she takes on former Top-10 Eugenie Bouchard in a second-round matchup on Day 4.
For those in the United States looking to watch, the match will start early Thursday morning around 3 a.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN2. 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 sign up for “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 ESPN2 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.
Serena Williams vs Eugenie Bouchard Preview
Williams’ first Australian Open match since her 2017 final victory over sister Venus went swimmingly, as she made easy work of Tatjana Maria in the first round. The seven-time Australian Open winner won 28 of 33 service points, broke Maria five times and needed just 49 minutes to advance.
“I didn’t make too many unforced errors, I think,” Williams said after the 6-0, 6-2 win. “She’s been able to beat top players, No. 1 and No. 2, so she knows how to play. I think always when I have a tougher round or I know someone that’s really good, I really want to be focused, and then that was really helpful for me today.”
In the second round, Williams will meet 2014 Australian Open semifinalist Eugenie Bouchard.
The 24-year-old Canadian dropped to as low as 194th in the rankings last year, but she has been steadily rounding back into form as of late. She finished last season with a semifinal appearance in Luxembourg, and she started off this season with a quarterfinal run in Auckland–both tournaments ended for her with a three-set loss to eventual champion Julia Goerges.
Bouchard’s improvement was again evident in her first-round match against Shuai Peng, as she rolled to a 6-2, 6-1 victory in 59 minutes to set up a battle against Serena.
“I’m super excited (to play Serena),” Bouchard said. “This is why we play the big tournaments, to play the best players.
“She’s the greatest ever. So it’s just so cool that I’ll be able to share the court with her and an opportunity to see how I compare to one of the best players. Her ranking is top-20 right now, but to me she’s always basically number one.”
Serena, who is looking to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 career Grand Slam tournament titles (though Court won 13 of those during the Amateur Era), will obviously be a big favorite when she takes on Bouchard in the second round, but it’ll be interesting to see how the challenger stacks up. Bouchard was climbed as high as fifth overall, and she’s still only 24 years old, so it’s not inconceivable that she could make a run back into the Top 10. A win over the tournament favorite would certainly jump-start that process.
Williams is 2-0 in her career against Bouchard, though their last match was in 2014. The winner of this one will advance to the third round, where they will take on either Carla Suarez Navarro or Dayana Yastremska.