Melbourne: American tennis player Sofia Kenin on Thursday progressed to the final of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. The 21-year-old defeated world number one Ashleigh Barty 7-6, 7-5 in the semi-final of the ongoing Australian Open.
With this, Kenin has become the youngest to reach the finals of the Australian Open since 2008.
The 21-year-old won the match in straight sets. The first set went back and forth between both players, but in the end, Kenin managed to outclass Barty.
Kenin carried the momentum into the second set and went on to wrap the match.
Before the start of this match, Barty held the edge in the head-to-head against Kenin. The Australian had defeated Kenin four times and lost just one match.
Moscow-born Kenin, 21, looked stunned at reaching her first Grand Slam final, at a tournament where she has often gone unnoticed while fellow Americans Serena Williams and 15-year-old Coco Gauff hogged the headlines.
"I'm just speechless, I honestly can't believe this. I've dreamed about this moment since I was five years old... I've worked so hard to get here," said Kenin, who was a baby when her family moved to America with just a few hundred dollars to her name.
"She came up with some really great shots. I knew she wasn't going to give it up to me -- I really had to fight out here. There's a reason she's number one."
Kenin's win came on a day when temperatures hit 38 Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit), prompting play to be suspended on outside courts -- following earlier problems with bushfire smoke, downpours, wind and even muddy rain at the season's opening Major.
Later in the day, Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza will take on each other in the semi-final of the Australian Open.
Men's semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will also take place later today.
