MELBOURNE: Top seed Serena Williams remains on a collision course with arch-rival Maria Sharapova after rampaging into the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion was at her brutal best, crushing last year's finalist Dominka Cibulkova in straight sets to set up an all-American last four showdown with unseeded teenager Madison Keys.
The other semi-final clash on Thursday is an all-Russian affair between second seed Sharapova, who owns five Grand Slam titles, and Ekaterina Makarova, seeded tenth.
Both star players have hit top form as the tournament progresses and are hot favourites to advance to Saturday's final.
Williams, 33, is contesting her 26th Slam semi-final after pummelling Cibulkova 6-2, 6-2, while it is 19-year-old Keys' first experience of the final four in a major.
The world number 35 showed her talent with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 quarter-final win to end Venus Williams' stirring return to the Grand Slam big time but aggravated a long-standing thigh injury during the bruising encounter.
Williams tipped Keys as a future Slam champion, but will be conceding nothing on court to an opponent who stopped her and Venus facing each other at a major sice 2010.
"Obviously, this is her first semi-finals. I'm sure there's going to be many more, including Grand Slam wins, for Madison," she said of the big-serving baseliner, who is coached by former great Lindsay Davenport.
The pair have never played before and Williams must win to claim a 19th title that would put her a clear second on the all-time Open Era winners' list and ensure she retains the world number one spot.
Williams has made the Australian semis five times before and always gone on the claim the title.
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