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

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