MELBOURNE
World number one Serena Williams and number two Maria Sharapova both qualified for the final stage of the Australian Open on Thursday.
In women's singles, Williams met 19-year-old Madison Keys in the semi-final stage. The first set between the players went to a tie break, which Williams won 7-5. Simple mistakes by Keys allowed Williams to dictate the tempo of the second set, which Williams won 6-2.
With the 2-0 win, Williams advanced to the final phase of the Australian Open for the sixth time in her career.
Winner of the 2008 Australian Open, Sharapova encountered world number 10 Ekaterina Makarova.
Sharapova cruised past her opponent 6-3 and 6-2 to win the match 2-0. The worldwide famous Russian tennis player will play the final in Australian Open for the fourth time.
