By Shrivathsa Sridhar MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys made rocky starts on Thursday but eventually secured contrasting victories to set up a heavy metal Australian Open final showdown that will pit two of the game's big hitters against each other.

Madison Keys stunned second seed Iga Swiatek 5-7 6-1 7-6(8) in a thriller on Thursday to reach her first Australian Open final. American Keys, the 19th seed, will meet double defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday's decider.

Watch the match highlights between Aryna Sabalenka & Paula Badosa in the Semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open Women's Singles Tournament Tennis.

Take a look at unique friendship timeline of Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa as they face off in the Australian Open 2025 semi-finals.

By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Double defending champion Aryna Sabalenka overwhelmed Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2 with a impressive display of raw power to reach her third successive Australian Open final on Thursday.

The two Women’s semi-finals of the 2025 Australian Open are set, and they carry plenty of intrigue. Aryna Sabalenka is still alive in her quest to become the first three-peat champion at this Major since Martina Hingis did so from 1997-99.