Rybakina and Sabalenka set up Australian Open final showdown

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 TIEBREAK

Rybakina had to