American 14th seed wins 7-6 (8-6), 7-5Muguruza beats Halep in gruelling battleAshleigh Barty fell just short of pleasing millions of Australians when the
American Sofia Kenin gritted her teeth on the hottest day of the 2020
Australian Open to win their semi-final 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.
Her opponent in the final on Saturday night is Garbiñe Muguruza, who beat the world No 3 Simona Halep in the second semi-final 7-6 (10-8), 7-5. The Spaniard, who arrived with a viral illness and was unseeded in a slam for the first time in six years, took the title favourite out of her stride at key moments in both sets, despite 44 unforced errors in just over two hours.