Rybakina, Sabalenka set up Oz Open final showdown

MELBOURNE: Elena Rybakina won a duel of Grand Slam champions to reach her first Australian Open final and will battle Aryna Sabalenka for the title after the Belarusian shrugged off her semi-final hoodoo at the majors.

Rybakina secured a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in the first semi-final on Thursday, ending the chance of an awkward all-Belarusian decider for the organisers, who had banned the nation’s flags early in the event.

Fifth seed Sabalenka beat Magda Linette 7-6(1), 6-2 in the late match at the Rod Laver Arena, reaching her first Grand Slam final after falling at the semi-final hurdle three times before. The title match will pair two big-serving, baseline pounders with contrasting personalities.

Russian-born Rybakina is the quiet achiever who switched allegiance to Kazakhstan as a 19-year-old and won the central Asian nation its first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last year. The animated Sabalenka has long been seen as a Grand Slam contender but has been a slave to her emotions on the biggest stages.

Rybakina’s “non-celebration” on court after beating Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final was repeated on Thursday as she walked calmly to the net to shake hands with Azarenka.

“For me this time, I would say it was a bit easier compared to Wimbledon when I was playing for the first time quarters, semis, final,” the 23-year-old said.

“Everything was new at Wimbledon. Now, I more or less understand what to expect.”

It was Rybakina’s third victory in succession over a Grand Slam champion, having knocked out World No.1 one Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko in the previous rounds. It was far from easy, though.

Rybakina had to come back from a break down in the first set against the feisty 24th seed Azarenka, who was chasing her third title after winning back-to-back in 2012-13.

The Kazakh, seeded 22nd, held her nerve as Azarenka foundered in a messy first set tie-break, then roared on to a 5-2 lead over the Belarusian in the second set.

Though suffering a wobble as she served for the set, Rybakina was gifted three match points when Azarenka double-faulted in the next game.

Azarenka saved one match point but her bid for a third title at Melbourne Park ended flatly, with a backhand hammered into the net, one of 27 unforced errors.

“It is kind of hard to digest, obviously,” a gloomy Azarenka told reporters in a press meet.

Sabalenka joined Rybakina in the final after a cold start on a chilly evening, notching her 10th win in succession, including the warm-up Adelaide title.

Sabalenka said that she had stopped using a psychologist in the off-season and decided to take her game into her own hands.

RESULTS: Women’s singles: Semi-finals: E Rybakina bt V Azarenka 7-6(4), 6-3; M Linette lost to A Sabalenka 6-7(6), 2-6