By Shrivathsa Sridhar MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will battle American 19th seed Madison Keys in the final on Saturday looking to become the first woman since Martina Hingis from 1997-99 to win the Australian Open title three times in a row.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Aryna Sabalenka continued her charge towards a third-straight Australian Open title by overwhelming her “soulmate” Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 in Thursday evening’s semifinal.

Madison Keys saved a match point and upset No. 2 Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) in a high-intensity Australian Open semifinal to reach a Grand Slam title match for the second time in her career.