A ‘very happy and proud’ Elena Rybakina downs Victoria Azarenka to reach Australian Open final

Elena Rybakina is through to her first Australian Open final after defeating Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.

Rybakina ended Azarenka’s dream of a third Melbourne title with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory.

The reigning Wimbledon champion looks to be in very good form, having dropped only one set throughout the tournament despite facing tricky opponents such as Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko along the way.

Rybakina held her nerve as she was forced into a first-set tiebreak, taking advantage of her huge serve to race into a 5-2 lead and securing the set after a blunder from her opponent.

Azarenka struggled to find a rhythm in the second set, double faulting twice and racking up numerous unforced errors which allowed Rybakina some breathing room to close out the match.

‘’I’m very happy and proud," Rybakina said after the match.

“It wasn’t easy today with different conditions compared to the daytime, as it was much slower.

‘’I couldn’t really adapt and manipulate the ball as much. On the serve, my speed was not the same. It was tough, especially against Vika.

“It was a case of relaxing more. It’s good that I know [how to handle big matches], especially for the final, where I’m going to be prepared in all aspects. In the end, I handled the emotions, which was pleasing.

‘’I couldn't get free points on my serve that easy like during the day when I played the matches. I knew that I need just to adjust. I was doing the correct things. It was just a matter to be more focused on these important moments. In the end, I just was playing point by point no matter score. Everything went well.’’

Rybakina will face fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday.