Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and rampant world No.5 Aryna Sabalenka will play for the 2023 Australian Open crown after storming to a pair of straight-set semi-final triumphs in Melbourne.
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Rybakina ended Victoria Azarenka's inspired run to be the first woman through to the final with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 victory before Sabalenka outclassed unseeded Pole Magda Linette 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 on Thursday night.
Continuing her relentless charge through the draw, Rybakina's victory was her third straight win over a grand slam champion after ousting world No.1 and reigning French and US Open titIe holder Iga Swiatek in the fourth round and 2017 Roland Garros champ Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals.
"I'm super happy and proud," the Kazakh said.
"It's an incredible atmosphere and I'm super happy to be in the finals and play one more time here."
Azarenka was the last player to successfully defend the women's crown at Melbourne Park, going back-to-back in 2012 and 2013, and was bidding to join Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Kim Clijsters as only the fourth mother to win a grand slam singles crown.
But as valiant as she was, the 33-year-old couldn't go the distance with an emerging superstar, a decade her junior.
Azarenka's fighting spirit was on full show in a rollercoaster first set.
She rallied from 5-3 down and set point in the eighth game to take the first set to a tiebreaker, only to lose it with a wild forehand error on Rybakina's second set point.
The former world No.1 dropped serve to fall behind 3-1 in the second, then again in seventh game to trail 5-2.
Azarenka broke Rybakina the following game but the reprieve proved merely a stay of execution as the Russian-born world No.25 quickly regrouped to take the match after one hour, 41 minutes.
Runner-up to Caroline Garcia in last year's WTA Finals, Sabalenka is unbeaten, yet to drop a set in 10 matches since in Australia this summer and now hugely relieved to finally reach her maiden grand slam final.
"I'm super happy. Super happy that I was able to get this win," Sabalenka said, having lost her previous three slam semis.
"I would say that I didn't start really well and then, in the tiebreak, I kind of find my rhythm and just start trusting myself, start going for the shots, and, yeah, it was great tennis from me."
Rybakina has lost her only three meetings with Sabalenka, all in three sets, but is a different player as she eyes a second grand slam title in less than eight months.
"For sure I got a lot of experience from Wimbledon and, to be honest, I just want to come on court and really enjoy the moment, enjoy the atmosphere because it's really amazing," she said.
"We see how it's going to go but for sure I try my best. I fight and, yeah, hopefully I'm going to win."
5-ARYNA SABALENKA (BLR) leads ELENA RYBAKINA (KAZ) 3-0
2021 Wimbledon, grass, R16, Sabalenka 6-3 4-6 6-3
2021 Abu Dhabi, hard, QF, Sabalenka 6-4 4-6 6-3
2021 Wuhan, hard, QF, Sabalenka 6-4 1-6 6-3
ARYNA SABALENKA
Age: 24
Ranking: 5
Plays: right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money: $US12,302,010
Career titles: 11
Grand slam titles: 0
Australian Open win-loss record: 14-5
Best Australian Open result: finalist 2023
ELENA RYBAKINA
Age: 23
Ranking: 25
Plays: right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money: $US6,389,853
Career titles: 3
Grand slam titles: 1 (Wimbledon 2022)
Australian Open win-loss record: 10-3
Best Australian Open result: finalist 2023
Australian Associated Press