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.

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.