MELBOURNE: Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina began her Australian Open campaign on the outer courts at Melbourne Park but the 22nd seed is now just one step away from winning her second major on Saturday (Jan 28), with only fellow big-hitter Aryna Sabalenka standing in her way.Russian-born Rybakina switched allegiance to Kazakhstan in 2018 to get more financial support and went on to become the country's first major singles champion at the All England Club, where she beat Tunisian Ons Jabeur in the final.While that victory brought prestige and financial reward, it did not boost her up the rankings.The WTA stripped Wimbledon of ranking points for the tournament after organisers imposed a ban on Russian and Belarusian players due to Russia's war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".Rybakina would have climbed into the top 10 had the ranking points been available but she has proved she belongs in the spotlight at Melbourne Park, knocking out three Grand Slam champions en route to this year's title clash.Playing flawless tennis and showing little emotion, the 23-year-old dismissed last year's runner-up Danielle Collins before eliminating title favourite Iga Swiatek, former Roland Garros winner Jelena Ostapenko and two-times Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka."I think it was a great challenge for me because for sure, they have experience of winning Grand Slams, so it was nothing new for them," Rybakina, who beat Azarenka 7-6(4), 6-3 in the semi-finals, said."This time I would say that it was a bit easier compared to Wimbledon when I was playing for the first time the quarters, semis, final."For sure they're very experienced players.