The odds are stacked against Keys as she hopes to deny Sabalenka, who won the Australian and US Open finals in straight sets last year.
Sabalenka has won four of her five previous meetings with Keys, including victory in their two previous Slam encounters.
Their most recent meeting at a major, in the semi-finals of the US Open in 2023, was a particularly painful one for Keys.
The American served for the match with a 6-0 5-3 lead, only for Sabalenka to pull off a remarkable fightback to advance.
“I felt like I tried to play safe. I wasn’t playing how I wanted to in the big moments,” Keys said of that defeat.
“That felt so bad. I didn’t want to be in the same situation where I looked back and thought ‘I should have gone for it’.
“I didn’t want to have any regrets.”
