MELBOURNE, Australia — So long in the shadows of other American tennis players, Sofia Kenin is into her first Grand Slam final at age 21 -- and she beat the woman ranked No. 1 to get there.
Kenin did it by never flinching, even when she twice was a single point from losing each set of her Australian Open semifinal against Ash Barty before pulling out the 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory on a stiflingly hot Thursday.
''This really wasn't an easy one,'' said the 14th-seeded Kenin, who never had been past the fourth round at a major tournament until now.