Her opponent, Keys, also last reached the semi-finals in 2022 but was beaten by Ashleigh Barty who went on to win the tournament. Keys’s previous two outing saw her battle past Elena Rybakina in the fourth round then Elina Svitolina in the quarters. The American has had a tougher run but is a wiley competitior and should give Swiatek some trouble.

The first of two Australian Open women’s singles semifinals is set for an early Thursday morning start in Melbourne as No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka battles No. 11 Paula Badosa.

The semifinal matches are scheduled to start at 3:30 a.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Fans looking to watch can do so through FuboTV, which offers a free trial and $30 off your first month, or DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but does have other promotional offers available.

Badosa becomes just the fourth Spaniard to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open after Conchita Martinez, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Garbiñe Muguruza but the No. 11 seed faces a mammoth task against Sabalenka who is aiming for a third back-to-back success in Melbourne.

The women's singles semifinals are set to offer two exciting matchups, each featuring top-level tennis and contrasting playing styles.

Aryna Sabalenka will face close friend Paula Badosa in the semi-finals of the Australian Open after battling to victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The two-time defending champion’s 18-match winning run at Melbourne Park looked in serious danger when she lost the second set on a windy Rod Laver Arena.