Australian Open 2017 Results: Thursday Bracket Winners, Scores and Top Stats

After winning a five-set classic against Swiss countryman Stan Wawrinka on Thursday, 17th-seeded Roger Federer is just one win away from his 18th career Grand Slam title as he awaits his opponent in the final.

The women's final is already set, however, as No. 2 Serena Williams emphatically ended the Cinderella story of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, while 13th-seeded Venus Williams came from behind to defeat American upstart CoCo Vandeweghe in three sets.

This will mark the ninth Grand Slam final meeting between the Williams sisters in their illustrious careers, with Serena leading the rivalry by a 6-2 margin.

In addition to a closer look at the upcoming women's final, here is a full rundown of Thursday's scores from Down Under and how they came to be.

Men's Singles	Results
Women's Singles	Results
(17) Roger Federer def. (4) Stan Wawrinka	7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3
(2) Serena Williams def. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni	6-2, 6-1
(13) Venus Williams def. Coco Vandeweghe	6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3

Federer came out of the gates red hot Thursday by taking the first two sets off Wawrinka. But after Wawrinka battled back to force a decisive fifth set, it was fair to wonder if Fed had run out of gas since he missed much of 2016 because of injury.

The 35-year-old's big-match experience served him well, though. He shut the door on his former Olympic doubles partner to strengthen his grip on history, according to Jose Morgado of Diario Record:

Federer also managed to accomplish something that hadn't been done in more than 40 years with the victory, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times:

Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times attempted to put what Federer has done at the Australian Open into perspective:

Federer hadn't reached the final in Melbourne since 2010, and this marks his first Grand Slam final of any kind since 2015.

He now has an opportunity to win his first Grand Slam title since 2010, which is something he never expected entering the tournament, according to the Australian Open's official Twitter account:

While Federer's opponent has yet to be determined, a tilt with longtime rival Rafael Nadal is possible if Rafa can get past Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in the other semifinal.

That would be a dream scenario in the men's draw. Meanwhile, perhaps the biggest dream scenario possible on the women's side actually came true Thursday.

Venus was the first of the Williams sisters on court when she took on Vandeweghe, who had previously ousted No. 1 Angelique Kerber and No. 7 Garbine Muguruza en route to the semis.

Although Venus' road wasn't quite as difficult, she had yet to drop a set ahead of the meeting with Vandeweghe. That changed when she lost a first-set tiebreak that pushed her to the brink of elimination, however.

The elder Williams sister was able to battle back and lost just five games over the final two sets to reach the final and join elite company, according to SportsCenter:

With the win, Venus reached her first Grand Slam final since 2009 and her first Australian Open final since 2003. 

Despite being a seven-time Grand Slam champion, Venus has never won the Australian Open. In order to change that, though, she must beat her sister in the final.

Serena continued her dominant ways by ousting Lucic-Baroni in less than an hour. The world No. 2 has yet to lose a set in Melbourne, and her opponents have won four or fewer games in all but one of the sets she has played during this tournament.

The 35-year-old veteran appears to be back on top of her game after an uneven 2016 season, and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to play her sister for a championship, as seen in the following video:

Meeting in a Grand Slam final isn't new to the Williams sisters, but based on the fact that they have both been in the sport for more than two decades, Serena suggested the upcoming final is at the top of the list in terms of their career accomplishments:

Serena will be a heavy favorite in the final since she has won seven of the past eight meetings between them, including a quarterfinal clash at the 2015 U.S. Open.

This may represent Venus' final opportunity to win a Grand Slam title, however, which is a major motivating factor that could come into play.

Regardless of the result, both Serena and Venus making the tournament's climax is one of the best tennis stories in recent memory, and their meeting figures to captivate fans of the sport across the globe.