Sofia Kenin reached her first Grand Slam final by beating a nervous top seed Ashleigh Barty in straight sets in the Australian Open semi-finals. Australian Barty, aiming to become the first home woman to reach the final in 40 years, failed to convert two set points in each set. Kenin is the first American to reach the Australian Open final, outside of the Williams sisters, since Lindsay Davenport in 2005. But she got tight again in the crucial moments, unable to take two more set points when serving for the second at 5-4. Barty, who won her maiden Grand Slam at the French Open in June, acknowledged playing in her first Australian Open semi-final was a "different experience".

Source: BBC January 30, 2020 05:05 UTC