Victoria Azarenka is through to her first Grand Slam final as Kim Clijsters bids farewell to Rod Laver Arena for the final time as a player.
In a match neither deserved to lose, it would come down to the player who kept their nerve and it was Azarenka who managed to do so, rebounding to win 6-4 1-6 6-3.
After the match Azarenka joked her hands felt as though they weighed 200kg and her body 1000kg as she tried to close out her first Grand Slam semifinal win.
The last time Azarenka was in this position was at Wimbledon last year when she lost in three sets to eventual champion Petra Kvitova who was defeated in the second semifinal by Maria Sharapova.
Deposing the defending champion and graduating to her first slam final is a big moment in the 22-year-old's career.
"You're just like relieved and you're happy and you're like excited. There's so much going on through your mind that you just can't pick one thing what's really happening to you," said the Belarusian, who could become the new world No.1 if she wins on Saturday night.
"But definitely relief and a lot of joy."
Azarenka has been slated for success since enjoying her first top-20 season in 2008. Unlike many players, she chose to leave the junior tour early and play senior events, despite not having the strength to compete early on.
"I was really small. I remember even few girls who are playing qualies here, I was playing with them. They were kicking my a---," Azarenka said.
Back then she may have struggled to punch above her weight, but now Azarenka is one of the tour aggressors. The No.3 seed here and almost a veteran with six years racked up on the tour already, it was time Azarenka stepped up.
In the third game of the first set, Azarenka put her stamp on the match, breaking Clijsters with an off-forehand that proved too hot for the Belgian. It ended up the only break for the set, not that both players didn't have their chances.
In the second set, something changed. Clijsters found her range, she cut out the unforced errors that plagued her in the opening set and doubt started to creep into Azarenka’s game.
The Belarusian looked frustrated as her opponent got on top of her and no matter how hard she hit the ball, Clijsters ran it down. The ankle Clijsters injured in the fourth round was holding up just fine, as she sprinted to a 6-1 second-set win.
The deciding set, however, was a different story altogether. There was five breaks of serve as first one player snatched the ascendancy, then the other grabbed it back.
Both players hit for the lines as they tried to run each other off their feet. Azarenka's improved fitness and court movement were put to the test but she passed with flying colours.
"[Improving my fitness in the off-season is] definitely one of the biggest things I've done. It helped me mentally to know that I can handle it. I can play for as long as I need," she said.
Clijsters now leaves Melbourne Park with one title to her name (2011), one finals appearance and five semifinals from 10 visits, not that she’s ready to reminisce.
“You don't think about it. The loss is too fresh I think to think about something else. So I'm sure that will sink in, in the next couple of days.”
Azarenka, however, will now prepare for her first Grand Slam final on Saturday night against 2008 champion Sharapova.
“I really have to be focused on myself. Whoever's on the other side is going to make trouble, no matter who that is, and they're going to try to win,” she said.
“For me it's important to stay positive and stay on the same track, focused … In finals can happen anything.”