Twice down two set points, Kenin tops Barty to reach first major final

It was a tournament that began with number of prominent names thrown out as contenders to reach the Australian Open final from the top half of the women’s draw. When Serena Williams and defending champion Naomi Osaka were ousted in the third round, world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and 2019 finalist Petra Kvitova, who met in the quarterfinals, appeared to be even stronger favorites to get through.

Instead, 21-year-old Sofia Kenin emerged to reach her first Grand Slam final. The American’s draw admittedly opened up to create kind path to the semifinals, but on Thursday, the 21-year-old denied Barty and her home crowd the first Australian finalist in 40 years by demonstrating the mental fortitude that led her to become the WTA’s Most Improved Player of 2019.

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On a sweltering day that saw temperatures reach triple digits, Kenin saved two set points in both sets, battling for a 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory to become the youngest finalist at Melbourne Park in 12 years—when her childhood idol Maria Sharapova topped fellow 20-year-old Ana Ivanovic.

"I've just dreamed about this moment since I was five. I'm sure you've all seen the Andy Roddick video. I'm just so speechless, so thankful," Kenin told Jim Courier on-court afterwards. "I've worked so hard to get here."

The No. 14 seed is also the youngest American to defeat a WTA No. 1 on the Grand Slam stage since 2002, when Serena Williams edged older sister Venus for the Wimbledon crown. Kenin is set to crack the Top 10 for the first time, surpassing No. 9 Naomi Osaka and could climb as high as No. 7 by winning the title over  Garbine Muguruza. The Spaniard also saved multiple set points, before edging Simona Halep, 7-6 (8), 7-5.

Barty came into the match with a 4-1 edge in the pair’s head-to-head series. She was bidding to end a 42-year drought for a home champion and entered on the back of claiming her first title in Australia at the Adelaide International. The reigning French Open champion struggled to find her range with her backhand, both in driving and slicing it, and her serve ultimately wasn't enough to combat the issue on the day.

"I felt like my first plan wasn't working. I couldn't execute the way that I wanted. I tried to go to B and C," Barty said in her press conference. "I think I had to dig and find a way. I mean, I'm two points away from winning that in straight sets, which is disappointing. Knowing I had to fight and scrap, I still gave myself a chance to win the match."

The Aussie's set points came when she was up 6-4 in the first set tiebreaker, and serving up 5-4, 40-15, in the second set. She finished with 33 winners to 36 unforced errors.