Australian Open 2015: Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova set up all-star final in Melbourne

The Australian Open can produce more unlikely champions than the other three Grand Slam tournaments, but the women’s final here will be contested by the two most celebrated players in the female game.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, the world No 1 and No 2 respectively, will meet in a heavyweight showdown on Saturday after winning their semi-finals today with something to spare. Williams will be playing in her sixth Melbourne final, having won the title on each of her previous final appearances, while Sharapova will be hoping to win the trophy for the second time in her fourth appearance in the final.

The two seasoned campaigners had too much experience for their semi-final opponents, who were both attempting to reach their first Grand Slam final. Williams beat her fellow American, Madison Keys, 7-6, 6-2, while Ekaterina Makarova never got going in her all-Russian confrontation with Sharapova, who won 6-3, 6-2.

Williams will be the clear favourite in the final given her astonishing head-to-head record against Sharapova. Since losing to a 17-year-old Sharapova in both the 2004 Wimbledon final and the 2004 year-end tour championships, Williams has beaten the Russian 15 times in a row and dropped only three sets in the process.

While Williams has been suffering with a virus this week, Keys went into their semi-final suffering from a recurrence of a leg muscle injury which had forced her to retire in the third round at Wimbledon last year. Thankfully neither player appeared to suffer too much as Keys struck the ball with her customary power, particularly at the start, while Williams showed all her usual resilience.

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Keys, who knocked out Venus Williams in the quarter-finals, broke serve immediately and maintained her lead until she served at 3-2. The set went to a tie-break in which Williams never trailed. The 18-times Grand Slam champion served superbly in the tie-break, which she won 7-5 after 45 minutes.

As Keys dropped serve in the opening game of the second set Williams turned the screw on her 19-year-old opponent. Keys, to her credit, held serve in a marathon game at 2-5, in which she saved seven match points, but that was only delaying the inevitable. Williams rounded off her victory with her 13th ace after an hour and 24 minutes, but only after Keys had saved another match point.

“She pushed me hard in the first set and I had to dig deep mentally to get through that,” Williams said afterwards. “I'm really excited to be in the final again. I didn't come here with that expectation so it’s exciting.”

Sharapova’s victory over Makarova was her sixth in six meetings with her fellow Russian, though she might have faced a tougher challenge if she had not saved two break points in an opening game that lasted 10 minutes. Thereafter Sharapova handled a tricky breeze much better than Makarova, who was soon 4-1 down. Although Makarova won the next two games, Sharapova broke again and then served out for the set.

There was never any doubt about the outcome after Sharapova went 4-0 up in the second set. The world No 2 hit the ball sweetly from the back of the court throughout and struck 23 winners to Makarova’s 11. It was Sharapova’s sixth win in her six meetings with her compatriot. Since saving two match points in her second-round match here against a qualifier, Sharapova has not dropped a set.

“It's so special,” Sharapova said afterwards. “When you start off the tournament you take it a match at a time and it's been kind of a strange road to get to the final, but I am here and really, really happy. Playing another Russian and someone who was not necessarily the favourite coming into the match, I knew she would come out and play really well. I think I was ready for that, stood my ground and competed well.”