Rybakina and Sabalenka set up Australian Open final showdown

MELBOURNE, (Reuters)E l e n a Rybakina won a duel of Grand Slam champions to reach her first Australian Open final and will battle ArynaSabalenkaforthetitle after the Belarusian shrugged off her semi-final hoodooatthemajors.

Rybakina claimed a 76(4) 6-3 victory over twice championVictoriaAzarenka in the first semi-final yesterday,endingthechance of an awkward allBelarusian decider for organisers, who banned the nation’s flags early in the event.

Fifth seed Sabalenka beatMagdaLinette7-6(1)62 in the late match at Rod Laver Arena, reaching her first Grand Slam final after falling at the semi-final hurdlethreetimesbefore.

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-yearold and won the central AsiannationitsfirstGrand Slam title at Wimbledon lastyear

T h e a n i m a t e d Sabalenka has long been seen as a Grand Slam contender but has been a slave to her emotions on thebiggeststages

Rybakina’s “noncelebration” on court after beating Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final was repeated on Rod Laver Arena yesterday as she walked calmly to the net without so much as a fistpump to shake hands with thevanquishedAzarenka.

“For me this time I wouldsayitwasabiteasier a l s o c o m p a r e d t o Wimbledon when I was playing for the first time quarters, semis, final,” the 23-year-oldtoldreporters.

“Everythingwasnewat Wimbledon.NowImoreor less understand what to expect ”

It was Rybakina’s third victory in succession over a Grand Slam champion, having knocked out world number one Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko in thepreviousrounds

It was far from easy, though.

MESSYTIEBREAK

Rybakina had to come back from a break down in the first set against the f e i s t y 2 4 t h s e e d Azarenka, who was chasing her third title after winning back-to-back in2012-13.

The Kazakh, seeded 22nd, held her nerve as Azarenka foundered in a messy first set tiebreak, then roared on to a 5-2 leadovertheBelarusianin thesecondset.

Though suffering a wobble as she served for the set, Rybakina was gifted three match points when Azarenka doublefaultedinthenextgame

Azarenka saved one matchpointbutherbidfora thirdtitleatMelbournePark endedflatly,withabackhand hammered into the net, one of27unforcederrors.

“It’s kind of hard to digest,obviously,”agloomy Azarenka told reporters, wearing sunglasses at her p o s t - m a t c h m e d i a conference.

“ObviouslyIhadquitea few chances that I gave myself. “I cannot really say I’m really proud of how I played.”

Coldstart

Sabalenka joined Rybakina in the final aftera coldstartonachillyevening, notching her 10th win in succession, including the warm-upAdelaidetitle.

Sabalenka said she had s t o p p e d u s i n g a psychologist in the offseason and decided to take her head-game into her own hands.

“I was trying to scream lessaftersomebadpointsor someerrors.Iwasjusttrying to hold myself, stay calm, just think about the next point,” she said of the semifinal

“Actually, I’m not that boring,Ithink I’m still screaming ‘comeon’andallthatstuff.I don’tthinkit’sthatboringto watchme.

Ihopeso.”

Brokeninthefirstgame, Sabalenka pressured Linette’s serve to take the tiebreak before racing away inthesecondset.

Unseeded 30-year-old Pole Linette would have been far from pretournament predictions of who would reach the semifinals and was happy with herrun.

“It’s really been so rewarding for all the sacrifices, all these years on tour, so many Grand Slams. Itwasmy30thattempt,”she said.

POLITICALISSUES

Geopolitics has been ever-present at the year’s first Grand Slam, with organisers making the unprecedented decision to ban Russian and Belarusian flags from the event after a complaint from the Ukraine embassyinAustralia.

Police questioned four fans with “inappropriate flags and symbols” at Melbourne Park following Wednesday’s quarter-final between Novak Djokovic andRussianAndreyRublev

Australian Open organisers on Thursday issued a reminder to players and their entourages about the policy after a video showing NovakDjokovic’s father posing for pictures with fans holding Russian flags was widely shared on socialmedia.

Serbian Djokovic, who plays American Tommy Paul in the men’s semifinals on Friday, did not commentonthevideo Asked by reporters whether it was difficult to focus on tennis with the politics rumbling in the background, Azarenka lostpatience

“I don’t know what you guyswantustodoaboutit,” shesnapped.

“These incidents that in my opinion have nothing to do with players, but somehowyoukeepdragging playersintoit.”