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.

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka looks unstoppable once again at the. The two-time champion raced past Paula Badosa to become the first woman to make three consecutive finals at Melbourne Park since Serena Williams.

Paula Badosa said Aryna Sabalenka’s performance in beating her in the Australian Open semifinals on Thursday was so good it was “like she’s playing a PlayStation”.