Muguruza sets up final date with surprise package Kenin

The Spaniard, a two-time Grand Slam champion, reached her first Melbourne final with a tough 7-6 (8), 7-5 victory at a steamy Rod Laver Arena. The 26-year-old, who suffered a calamitous drop in form last season, is the first unseeded player to reach the women’s singles summit clash since Belgium’s Justine Henin in 2010.

“I am very excited to be in the final. There is a long way to go and I have one more match on Saturday,” said Muguruza, the former World No.1 who is now ranked 32. “I wasn’t thinking that I was down. I kept going and knew there would be an opportunity at some stage. Luckily, I have enough time to recover and get ready for the last match.” Halep and Muguruza, who have both won the French Open and Wimbledon, were too close to split in a nervy first set. In sweltering heat, they grappled all the way to the tie-breaker. Muguruza, unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2014, squandered two set points in the tie-breaker but clinched the set with a stop volley.

It was the first set that Halep -- also a former World No.1 -- had dropped all week and she reacted by mangling her racquet. The 28-year-old recovered her poise and broke Muguruza for a 3-2 lead in the second set. However, the Spaniard broke back and then held to make it 6-5. Halep, so serene up until now, cracked as she served to stay in the tournament.

She saved the first match point but then netted a backhand as Muguruza surged forward on the second.

Kenin, the feisty American 14th seed, stunned World No.1 and home hope Ashleigh Barty 7-6(6), 7-5 to reach her first Grand Slam final. Moscow-born Kenin, 21, the last American left in Melbourne, was the party pooper once again.

She had already brought the fairytale run of 15-year-old Coco Gauff (USA) to an end in the fourth round with the aggressive style of play that has become her trademark over the past fortnight. Kenin looked shell-shocked in the immediate aftermath of her surprise victory, saying: “Barty is such a tough player, she’s playing really well. I knew I had to really find a way to win. I’m just speechless, I honestly can’t believe this. I’ve dreamed about this moment since I was five years old.”