Rafael Nadal beats Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 6-4 6-0 to reach Sunday's final
2009 winner Nadal will bid for second Australian Open title
Novak Djokovic and Lucas Pouille semi-final on Friday
Naomi Osaka beats Karolina Pliskova to reach Saturday's women's final
Osaka will face Petra Kvitova after Czech defeated Danielle Collins
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Rafael Nadal
It is 100 degrees Fahrenheit!
Yet, here we go. Stefanos Tsitsipas to serve first. What a day for the 20-year-old. He battled for an incredible win over Roger Federer on Sunday, can he provide a repeat shock four days later?
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Rafael Nadal
Marion Bartoli
Former Wimbledon champion on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
Stefanos Tsitsipas has this firepower and reminds me a bit of Tsonga when he beat Nadal in the semi-final here a few years ago.
He has to play fearless tennis. He doesn't have any other options, it's his only tactic. He can't play a neutral ball - he can't beat Nadal playing that game.
But let's see under this extreme heat with the roof open how they handle the conditions.
Image source, Getty ImagesStefanos Tsitsipas v Rafael Nadal
Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park
The Laver roof is open! The heat index has dropped to a much cooler (!) 4.5 meaning we're good to play under the late evening Melbourne sky.
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Rafael Nadal
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS (14th seed)
Age: 20
ATP Ranking: 15
Grand Slam titles: 0
2018 Australian Open performance: First round
Best Australian Open performance: Semi-finals (2019)
RAFAEL NADAL (second seed)
Age: 32
ATP Ranking: 2
Grand Slam titles: 17 (Australian Open 2009; French Open 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018; Wimbledon 2008, 2010; U.S. Open 2010, 2013, 2017)
2018 Australian Open performance: Quarter-finals
Best Australian Open performance: Winner (2009)
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Rafael Nadal
We start off with the roof open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Rafael Nadal
Marion Bartoli
Former Wimbledon champion on BBC Radio 5 live
You have to favour Nadal for this semi. I'm just happy we have someone French in the semis (Lucas Pouille).
It's two rookies against two established players in the last four.
Everybody expects Rafa and Novak [Djokovic] in the final.
Maybe one of the outsiders will disturb that. Tsitsipas cannot afford to play the neutral ball because Nadal will get on top.
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Rafael Nadal
Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park
Image source, BBC SportStefanos Tsitsipas has captured the hearts of a nation. In fact, he's captured the hearts of two nations.
Australia, with a large Greek community, and especially here in Melbourne, has almost adopted him as one of their own.
Australian-Greek Louis Stavropoulos has brought his sons Kosta and Nikolas on a 12-hour drive from Sydney to see if Tsitsipas can continue his dream run.
"After he did so well last the end of last season, we always planned to come down to Melbourne for the Open," Louis said.
"He needs to challenge Nadal from the set, he can't give him any serves away and if hangs in like a Greek fighter then he will make us proud.
"Melbourne has the second biggest Greek community after Athens so it is going to be a cracking atmosphere."
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Rafael Nadal
Image source, .Earlier today, Briton Neal Skupski and Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez were beaten in their mixed doubles semi-final.
Skupski, 29, and Spaniard Martinez Sanchez, 36, lost 6-0 6-4 to Czech Barbora Krejcikova and USA's Rajeev Ram, the third seeds, in one hour and six minutes.
It was the Liverpudlian's first Grand Slam semi-final.
Skupski and Martinez Sanchez had beaten top seeds Mate Pavic and Gabriela Dabrowski in the quarter-finals.
And Skupski has just tweeted this...
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Australian Open women's final: Osaka v Kvitova (Sat)
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Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park
Temperatures are expected to remain the same tomorrow, which means there is another strong chance the Laver roof will remain closed for the second men's semi-final.
So, as my BBC Radio 5 live colleague Cat Archer pointed out to me, Novak Djokovic headed out shortly after the end of Osaka's win over Pliskova to hit under the roof and practice in the conditions.
Nicely done Novak.
The winner of this first semi-final takes on either Novak Djokovic or Lucas Pouille, who meet tomorrow.
Djokovic is staying healthy with this, and making us all feel hungry. Looks good.
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Australian Open women's final: Osaka v Kvitova (Sat)
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Australian Open women's final: Osaka v Kvitova (Sat)
Isaac Farnworth: Impressed by the maturity shown by #Osaka, external tonight. Many players would fade away at 0-1, 0-40 in the 3rd against #Pliskova, external. Not Naomi. She troubleshooted, stayed calm and found a way back. Reaches back-to-back slam finals.
Dennis Ethan: Both are big hitting Petra & Naomi, it will be small margins but I think the experience of Kvitova will see her through.
Australian Open women's final: Osaka v Kvitova (Sat)
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Pliskova 2-6 6-4 4-6 Osaka
Image source, AFPPetra Kvitova will meet US Open champion Naomi Osaka in the women's final as the Japanese fourth seed reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals with a hard-fought win over Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova at the Australian Open.
Osaka, 22, won 6-2 4-6 6-4 and hit 15 aces and 56 winners in a confident display.
The semi-final was played under the Rod Laver Arena roof as temperatures touched 40C in Melbourne.
Australian Open women's final: Osaka v Kvitova (Sat)
Courtney Nguyen
WTA reporter on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
It's a phenomenal story about Petra Kvitova. You didn't know whether this moment would ever arrive.
She suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Maria Sharapova in the French Open semis in 2012. She would have battled for the number one ranking had she reached the final.
Now she has the chance again to battle for the number one ranking.
Kvitova 7-6 (7-2) 6-0 Collins
Image source, EPAPetra Kvitova reached her first Grand Slam final since being stabbed, beating unseeded American Danielle Collins under the roof after extreme heat at the Australian Open.
Czech Kvitova, seeded eighth, dominated a tie-break to win a tight first set, in which the roof was closed at 4-4. The two-time Wimbledon champion, 28, controlled the second as Collins, 25, grew frustrated.
Kvitova won 7-6 (7-2) 6-0 and will meet Naomi Osaka in Saturday's final.
A vicious forehand winner sealed victory on Kvitova's first match point as she reached her first Australian Open final.
"This means everything, that's why I work really hard - to be in a final at a Grand Slam," she said. "Finally, I made it deep into a major. Whatever happens in the final I am very happy."
The winner of the final will replace Romania's Simona Halep as the world number one.
In case you missed it, we had the women's semi-finals earlier on and this is what happened...
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Rafael Nadal
Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park
The Australian Open has introduced a new extreme heat policy, with a heat stress scale telling us how safe the players are in the conditions.
If it gets to four, which it did during Petra Kvitova's win over Danielle Collins, then the players are allowed a 10-minute break between the second and third sets.
If a five is recorded, the tournament referee can decide to close the roof here on Laver and suspend the start of matches on outside courts.
That is what happened during the Kvitova/Collins match, with the match staying closed for Naomi Osaka's win over Karolina Pliskova which followed.
At last check a short time ago, it is still at 5.0 and means the Laver roof is still shut.
Image source, BBC Sport