Serena Williams
Serena Williams looks to grab her 22nd Grand Slam singles title when she faces Angelique Kerber in the final round of the 2016 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Reuters/Tyrone Siu

Serena Williams is just a win away from her 22nd Grand Slam title, but Germany’s Angelique Kerber is determined to defend her idol Steffi Graf’s mark from the world No. 1.

Williams, who still has not dropped a set in the tournament, maintained her untainted campaign at the 2016 Australian Open after beating No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in straight sets 6-0 6-4. However, the 21-Grand Slam winner understands what Kerber brings to the table, having been beaten by the German once in the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open four years ago.

“She took out a really tough opponent in Victoria [Azarenka]," Williams said, reports ESPN. "She's beaten me before, too, and pretty good. I know that she brings a lot, you know, to the game."

After a lopsided first set, Williams showed signs of tightness in the next set against Radwanska, losing some power on her groundstrokes. The Polish looked ready to extend the match for a third set, but Williams halted Radwanska’s run at 4-4 before clinching her spot in the final round of the Australian Open.

Meanwhile, Kerber faces a daunting task of dethroning Williams as the Australian Open champion. But after defeating Great Britain’s Johanna Konta 7-5 6-2 in the semifinal stage, the 28-year-old claimed she has “nothing to lose” in going against Williams, who leads Kerber in their head-to-head matchups by 5-1 and is considered the heavy favourite to win the final round of the 2016 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

"Right now I don't have pressure anymore,” Kerber said, reports The Age. “I have showed myself that I'm one of the best players in the world. I'm proud of this."

As a fellow German, Kerber feels obligated to defend Graf’s Open Era record of 22 Grand Slams. But Kerber may need more than just Graf as her motivation to overcome a surging Williams.

Live streaming info and score updates

Watch the Australian Open 2016 live via ATP’s official website or TennisTV. Live scores for matches will be available on game days via Australian Open’s official website.

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