MELBOURNE :Elena Rybakina won a duel of Grand Slam champions to reach her first Australian Open final and will battle Aryna Sabalenka for the title after the Belarusian shrugged off her semi-final hoodoo at the majors.Rybakina claimed a 7-6(4) 6-3 victory over twice champion Victoria Azarenka in the first semi-final on Thursday, ending the chance of an awkward all-Belarusian decider for organisers, who banned the nation's flags early in the event.Fifth seed Sabalenka beat Magda Linette 7-6(1) 6-2 in the late match at Rod Laver Arena, reaching her first Grand Slam final after falling at the semi-final hurdle three times before.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-year-old and won the central Asian nation its first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last year.The animated Sabalenka has long been seen as a Grand Slam contender but has been a slave to her emotions on the biggest stages.Rybakina's "non-celebration" on court after beating Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final was repeated on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday as she walked calmly to the net without so much as a fist-pump to shake hands with the vanquished Azarenka."For me this time I would say it was a bit easier also compared to Wimbledon when I was playing for the first time quarters, semis, final," the 23-year-old told reporters."Everything was new at Wimbledon.
Now I more or 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 the previous rounds.It was far from easy, though.MESSY TIEBREAKRybakina had to