Yahoo Sports Sabalenka aims to 'join legends' in Keys showdown
Australian Open 2025 - women's singles final
Date: 25 January Venue: Melbourne Park Time: 08:30 GMT
Coverage: Live radio commentary on BBC 5 Sports Extra from 08:20 GMT, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app
Aryna Sabalenka will aim to become the first woman in 26 years to win three successive Australian Open titles when she meets Madison Keys in Saturday's final.
Victory would make Sabalenka only the sixth woman to win the title three times in a row in the Open era, and the first since Martina Hingis in 1999.
World number one Sabalenka is the heavy favourite to secure a fourth Grand Slam title and goes into the final on a 20-match winning streak at Melbourne Park.
But she must be wary of an opponent who saved a match point before ousting world number two Iga Swiatek to reach the second major final of her career.
American 19th seed Keys came through a dramatic third-set tie-break to reach her first Australian Open final, eight years after she finished runner-up at the 2017 US Open.
The Australian Open women's final begins at 08:30 GMT, with live coverage on the BBC Sport website and app.
Australia 'feels like coming home' for Sabalenka
Sabalenka is guaranteed to keep her status as the leading women's player after Swiatek's semi-final loss.
The top seed, who ended Swiatek's 11-month stay as world number one in October, has lost just one set in six matches on her way to becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2017 to reach a third straight Australian Open final.
She produced a ruthless display to defeat close friend Paula Badosa in the last four and give herself the chance to become the first woman to win three consecutive hard-court Slam titles this century.
"It's crazy that I'm in a situation where I have a chance to put my name next to legends. I couldn't dream about that. It's going to mean a lot," said Sabalenka.
"I just feel at home. Last year I thought 'OK, I feel at home, I feel so good here, I feel all the support'. This year I feel it even more.
"It feels like coming home to my home Slam."
Keys wants to play 'with no regrets'
The odds are stacked against Keys as she hopes to deny Sabalenka, who won the Australian and US Open finals in straight sets last year.
Sabalenka has won four of her five previous meetings with Keys, including victory in their two previous Slam encounters.
Their most recent meeting at a major, in the semi-finals of the US Open in 2023, was a particularly painful one for Keys.
The American served for the match with a 6-0 5-3 lead, only for Sabalenka to pull off a remarkable fightback to advance.
"I felt like I tried to play safe. I wasn't playing how I wanted to in the big moments," Keys said of that defeat.
"That felt so bad. I didn't want to be in the same situation where I looked back and thought 'I should have gone for it'.
"I didn't want to have any regrets."
Keys, who lost to Sloane Stephens in straight sets in her first Slam final appearance, finally won an Australian Open semi-final at the third attempt with her stunning victory over five-time major champion Swiatek.
Like Sabalenka, Keys heads into the final on an 11-match winning streak, having won the title in Adelaide earlier in January.
Keys, who would rise to world number seven if she beats Sabalenka, said of her final opponent: "What's really impressive is her mentality. Her ability to always go for it, no matter what the score is, is really impressive.
"She plays such fearless tennis. I think it's very unique.
"I'm trying to emulate the way she trusts her game and the way she goes after it."
