[14] Sofia Kenin (USA) did the unthinkable, upset Australian darling and number one seed, Ashleigh Barty. Their head-to-head favored Barty, the location favored Barty; however, the fighter known as Sonya, did not let those two facts prevent her from fighting her way to victory.
Opportunities Squandered By Barty
Even the number one seed can struggle in a match, and failure to capitalize on precious break points can come back to make your life uncomfortable. The Australian had three opportunities to take control of the first set but failed to do so and the result was losing the first set in the tiebreaker. Surely, the number one seed would fight her way back and it looked that way for most of the second set.
Kenin Played The Match Of Her Life
Had the pressure of the moment gotten to the young American, who was playing in her first major semifinal? No; despite being down 3-5, she showed everyone last night that she is a fighter. All Barty had to do was serve out the second set and force a decider, but Kenin elevated her game and broke consecutively to win the set and the match 7-6(6), 7-5.
Garbine Muguruza Is Back
[32] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) is back from her self-imposed sabbatical from tennis, and she is playing some of her best tennis. Playing good enough to be back into another major final. She had to do it the hard way too, fighting off the in-form [4] Simona Halep (ROU). They traded break points in the first set, with Halep having twice as many opportunities to break; however, Muguruza brought her game and her confidence last night. Despite a slight wobble in the first set, the Spaniard pulled it together in a tiebreaker to win the first set 7-6(8).
The second set was up for grabs with both players trading breaks, until Halep held to take a 4-2 lead. Surely, she would win the second set and force a decider. Yet, Muguruza was not deterred by the odds and broke Halep back to back to win the match 7-6(8), 7-5.
No One Can Stop Djokovic
It looked for most of the first set that [3] Roger Federer (SUI) could pull off the upset. He broke early and served for the set at 5-4 up. Unfortunately, he could not secure the first set, lost it in a tiebreaker, 6-7(1) and went on to lose the match. Despite a sluggish start and looking a bit frustrated with his game, the number two seed, Novak Djokovic, had no problems getting his head in the game. After securing the first set, he never gave Federer an opportunity to get back in the match. Djokovic won 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3. He looks ready to defend his title and claim his eighth Australian Open trophy.
SOURCE OF IMAGES: Zimbio.com (Getty Images AsiaPac)
