MELBOURNE: Serena Williams battled past gallant Madison Keys on Thursday to set up a dream Australian Open final between the top two seeds after archrival Maria Sharapova demolished Ekaterina Makarova. The best two players in the world have a long history and the odds are stacked in Williams’ favor ahead of the Melbourne Park decider on Saturday with the American holding a major psychological advantage. She has a 16-2 record against Sharapova, with the Russian five-time Grand Slam champion losing their every encounter since 2004.

AFP