Seventh seed Angelique Kerber tamed British hope Johanna Konta to reach the Australian Open final on Thursday, where she will face dominant world No 1 Serena Williams.
Kerber, 28, buoyed by a new-found self-belief inspired by fellow German Steffi Graf, proved too strong for Konta as she won 7-5, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
The win puts the German into her first ever grand slam final on her 33rd attempt, marking the first time a German has got so far at Melbourne Park since 1996.
That year, Anke Huber made the final where she lost to Monica Seles. Graf is the last German champion in Melbourne, winning the last of her four Australian titles in 1994.
But Kerber now has a momentous task ahead against a player in awesome form, after defending champion Williams swept past Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0, 6-4 in the other semi-final.
Williams demolished Polish fourth seed Radwanska to surge into her 26th grand slam final and zero in on a seventh Australian Open title.
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The dominant top seed was untouchable in overpowering Radwanska 6-0, 6-4 in just 64 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. Of her 25 previous major finals, Williams has won 21.
“I’m really excited to be in another final, it kind of blows my mind right now,” Williams, 34, said. “I feel I am playing the best I can, and I can’t believe I am in the final.
“I started playing aggressive again in the second set and it worked out.”
The writing was on the wall for Radwanska — Williams had never lost a semi-final at Melbourne Park on her way to six titles, and had beaten the Pole in each of their previous eight meetings stretching back to 2008.
She crushed long-time rival Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals and dished out the same treatment to Radwanska, halting her 13-match win streak in emphatic fashion.
“I think she started unbelievable, with such a power and speed. I was just standing there kind of watching her playing,” said Radwanska, calling the first set the best anyone had ever played against her.
“There was just no mistake. Unbelievable serve. Everything, she was going for it. I couldn’t do much.”
The victory puts Williams just one win away from matching Steffi Graf’s Open-era Grand Slam record of 22 titles, with Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24 edging closer.
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