Aryna Sabalenka knows she has a chance to write her name into tennis history on Saturday, when she faces Madison Keys for a third straight Australian Open crown.

Martina Hingis, between 1997 and 1999, was the last woman to win three straight titles at the Melbourne Park slam, with only four other female players doing so in the Open Era.

Margaret Court (1969 to 1971), Evonne Goolagong (1974 to 1976), Steffi Graf (1988 to 1990) and Monica Seles (1991 to 1993) are the only other women to enjoy similar periods of dominance at the event.

Two-time defending champion Sabalenka will have the chance to match that feat on Saturday, having beaten Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2 in the first of Thursday's semi-finals.

Keys awaits Sabalenka in the showpiece match after the American downed five-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek in a three-set thriller, and the Belarusian recognises that a momentous achievement is within her grasp.

"It's crazy that I was able to put myself in a situation where I have the chance to put my name next to the legends," Sabalenka said. "I couldn't even dream about that. 

"It's going to mean a lot for me. It just feels like home. Last year I felt at home, I felt so good here, I felt all the support. This year I feel it even more. 

"I feel like I'm coming to my home slam. I know everything. I know every area. I know where to warm up so it's not that crowded. I go there, and I hear people screaming my name, they support me. I have goosebumps every time they scream."

5 - Aryna Sabalenka is the fifth player in the Open Era to reach 5+ consecutive Women’s Singles Grand Slam hard court finals after Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis. Tigress.#AO2025 | @AustralianOpen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/IlZ7jYpL4a

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 23, 2025

Sabalenka has now won 20 straight matches at the Australian Open, becoming just the third woman to achieve that feat at any grand slam in the last decade, after Serena Williams (at the US Open and Wimbledon) and Swiatek (French Open).

Badosa felt the level Sabalenka hit in their last-four contest, in which the Belarusian won 77% of first-serve points and only faced one break point, left her unable to respond.

"The level of Aryna today, she played like a number one. I couldn't do much more," Badosa said. "She played the best match not even of the week, but in the last few months, for sure. 

"If she plays like this, I mean, we can already give her the trophy. It was really unfair for me that she played at this level! I was expecting a good level, but maybe not that much."

Looking ahead to the final, Sabalenka recalled the trouble she faced when beating Keys 0-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (10-5) in the 2023 US Open semi-finals.

"I was under so much pressure. It felt like she was just going for her shots and everything was going in," Sabalenka said. "She was just crushing it. 

"I think at some moments she would start questioning herself. I saw that and I felt like, 'okay, now is the moment to put as many balls back as you can'. 

"I think that was the crucial moment. I just turned things around, but she played incredible, aggressive tennis in that semi."