The Latest: Hingis-Mirza win Australian doubles title
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) The Latest from the Australian Open on Friday (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
The No. 1-ranked team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza have won the Australian Open doubles title, beating the Czech pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-6 (1), 6-3 to extend their winning streak to 36 matches on the way to a third Grand Slam title together.
Hingis, a two-time singles champion at the Australian Open, and Mirza dominated the first-set tiebreaker preceded by eight service breaks, four by each team.
The winners added to their Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles last year and the pair also won the Brisbane International title three weeks ago. They started playing together at Indian Wells last year.
Hingis is now a four-time doubles champion at the Australian Open. Mirza, who won the 2009 mixed doubles title with fellow Indian player Mahesh Bhupathi, played a later semifinal Friday in mixed doubles with Ivan Dodig of Croatia.
Hlavackova and Hradecka are now 2-3 in Grand Slam doubles finals. They won major doubles titles at the 2011 French Open and 2013 U.S. Open.
---
4:20 p.m.
American Coco Vandeweghe and Horia Tecau of Romania have advanced to Sunday's mixed doubles final at Melbourne Park with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Treat Huey of the Philippines.
Vandeweghe and Tecau will play either Sania Mirza of India and Ivan Dodig of Croatia or Russian Elena Vesnina and Bruno Soares of Brazil, who play their semifinal later Friday.
It'll be a busy day for Mirza, who is teaming with Martina Hingis in the women's doubles final to follow on Rod Laver Arena. They'll play the Czech pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka for the championship.
Soares is also teamed with Jamie Murray of Britain in the men's doubles final on Saturday.
---
3:50 p.m.
Angelique Kerber checked her phone and confirms she received a text message from Steffi Graf ahead of the Australian Open final against Serena Williams on Saturday.
Kerber summed up the message on Friday: ''She told me, `Congrats,' and she is happy for me and good luck in the finals.''
After winning her semifinal Thursday, Kerber was asked during her on-court interview if she would seek the advice of Graf, who was the last German woman to win the Australian title, on how to beat Serena.
Kerber responded with a laugh and said, ''Steffi, write me please.''
Williams has won 21 majors and is trying to match Graf's record of 22 titles in the Open era, which started in 1968.
---
1:55 p.m.
Serena Williams, who plays Angelique Kerber in the women's final at the Australian Open on Saturday, says the price of fame means she doesn't get out much, but she'll take that scenario as long as she's at the top of the women's game.
At her pre-championship news conference on Friday, Williams was asked whether it bothers her that she's forced to stay in her hotel or house and not be able to wander the streets of Melbourne as she attempts to win her seventh title here.
Williams says ''yeah, definitely ... I don't really leave my house so much, even in Florida or L.A. or Paris. I kind of just stay at home a lot.''
She adds: ''It will go away soon. But for now, I'd rather have this than something else because it means I'm doing well.''
Williams has not dropped a set this year in six matches after winning three of four Grand Slam titles last year. She'll try to win her seventh final in seven attempts at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
---
1:20 p.m.
Andy Murray and Milos Raonic are set to meet in a men's semifinal for the right to play five-time champion Novak Djokovic in an Australian Open men's final.
The roof was closed over Rod Laver Arena early Friday afternoon with rain showers in the area, but those were expected to clear in time to have an open stadium for the night match.
Djokovic, who has won all five finals he's played at Melbourne Park, beat Roger Federer in four sets Thursday to advance to Sunday's championship decider.
The first final of 2016 will be played on Friday afternoon - the women's doubles championship between the No. 1-ranked team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza play Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.