MELBOURNE, Australia -- Unheralded American Sofia Kenin has ended world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty's Australian Open run, defeating the crowd favourite 7-6, 7-5 to advance to Saturday night's final.
The 2019 French Open champion and tournament favourite made an uncharacteristic 37 unforced errors throughout the semifinal, ultimately falling short of becoming the first homegrown player to make the final at Melbourne Park since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.
Barty made a confident start to the semifinal, sending down six aces and smashing six winners before three service games had been completed.
The Queenslander managed to carve out a double break point opportunity at 3-2, but a pair of missed slices allowed Kenin to get the game back to deuce. A third break point chance came and went for Barty before Kenin managed to hold.
With Barty continuing to serve well, but also making plenty of unforced errors on the Kenin serve, neither player was able to find a break point for the reminder of the set.
A tiebreaker was required to decide it and at 6-4 up it looked as if it was going the way of Barty. But two more errors off her racket allowed Kenin to draw level. The 21-year-old then swooped, taking the next two points to pocket the opening set.
But Barty wasn't to be rattled. The top seed gave herself another break point chance at 1-1 in the second set and this time she converted.
She held the advantage throughout the set before surrendering it when attempting to serve it out. Up 5-4 and 40-15, Barty blew two set points before Kenin pinched the game. The American quickly held serve before breaking Barty again to earn a spot in her first major final.
"She's such a tough player," Kenin said of Barty. "She was playing amazing. This really wasn't an easy one but I'm grateful for this moment."
Kenin will face either 2018 Australian Open runner-up Simona Halep or Spain's Garbine Muguruza in Saturday night's final.