Americans Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport, who have nine grand slam titles between them, set up a title clash at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday.

Former world number one Williams defeated fourth-seeded Russianteenager Maria Sharapova, saving three match points to win 2-6, 7-5, 8-6 in two hours 39 minutes.

Top seed Davenport came back from early setbacks to beat French19th seed Nathalie Dechy 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

Williams said the victory ranked among her most satisfying.

"Those are always the best wins, when you're down match point because it's like you realize that you can't give up," she said.

Williams will now meet Davenport in Saturday's final, who she leads 9-4 in head-to-head encounters.

Source: Xinhua