Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka reached her second consecutive Australian Open final beating America’s Coca Gauff in straight sets. Sabalenka was out for revenge against her American counterpart who beat her at last year’s US Open final in New York. The Belarussian won the semi-final tie 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Sabalenka will play China’s Qinwen Zheng who beat Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska 6-4 6-4 in the other semi-final. Yastremska was bidding to become only the second qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title after Emma Raducanu achieved this feat at the 2021 US Open.

The final will be played on Saturday against the two recognised best players on the woman’s tour. Sabalenka is aiming to become the first player to claim back-to-back Australian Open titles since Victoria Azarenka in 2012 & 2013.