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Former world top-10 player Barbara Schett: "Cibulkova can run for hours and hours so I don't think her legs will be a problem. It all matters on how she embraces the nerves. I imagine she is more nervous than before any other match but if she feels comfortable and tries to enjoy it then I think it will be a great contest.

"Li Na knows she hasn't got too many chances to win titles at her age so I think she will be tough and will not give much away. She sees this opportunity and I think she will take it."

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Who does Evert think will win? "I suspect Li Na will rise to the occasion and realise that at 31, she doesn't have time on her side.

"This is a great opportunity to get that second Grand Slam. I imagine she will come through as she has a couple more weapons - a good serve and she dictates the points better."

Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam champion, has been impressed by Dominika Cibulkova's run to the final but wonders whether today will be one obstacle too far for her.

"Cibulkova is the giant-killer," said Evert, 59. "She has come out of nowhere; no- one would have expected it. The question is, will her legs hold up?

"She has to take two or three steps to everyone else's one step. But as soon as the top seeds lost, she sensed that this was her time. The intangibles are the nerves coming into the final."

Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park

"There have been all sorts of figures thrown around regarding viewing figures and potential earnings since Li Na won her first Grand Slam title at the 2011 French Open, all of them hard to firm up, but her influence is apparent ahead of her fourth major final.

The Australian Open markets itself as 'The Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific', and the Chinese fans are out in force on finals day at Melbourne Park, many of them carrying blue fans that will flutter in appreciation should their player merit it. "Have you seen any other Slovakian fans?" asks one couple. There are a few around, but there's not much doubt who will have the biggest travelling support on Rod Laver Arena."

Image source, Getty Images

In contrast, Dominika Cibulkova is Slovakia's first Grand Slam finalist and is her best performance since reaching the semi-finals at the 2009 French Open. Should she claim victory, she would join Nancy Richey and Mima Jausovec as the shortest women to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era at five foot three inches.

Image source, Getty Images

Li Na will be the favourite, having had the experience of playing in two Australian Open finals previously. She's also a Grand Slam champion, with victory at the French Open in 2011.

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Morning all! Welcome to our live text commentary of the 2014 Australian Open women's singles final between fourth seed Li Na and 20th seed Dominika Cibulkova.

We've got all bases covered with live coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sport extra right now with BBC Two joining the party at 0825 GMT.

There's a new kid on the block, and she has swept through the draw like a raging pitbull, swatting away the likes of Francesca Schiavone, Stefanie Vögele, Caria Suárez Navarro, Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep and Agnieszka Radwanska.

Can China's Li Na, a three-time Australian Open finalist, do anything to stop Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, playing in her first major final, winning the title in Melbourne?