The early running was Vika's, taking the first break of the match and leading 2-1. Kim then failed to convert a truckload of break points in the fourth game, and Azarenka strode happily to 3-1, a stretch backhand that only permitted the use of a single hand on the racquet clinching the deal.
The group of aircraft brought in partly for Australia Day, but more especially to drown out the noise emanating from Azarenka were successful in their assignment, but would have little hope of repeating that goal when Sharapova entered the scene later on.
Kim had been given only a short time in which to complete her next service game and happily for her and her fans she ended it with sufficient points to constitute another tick in the games column adjacent to her name. 3-2 to Vika became 5-3 to the same lady, and what appeared to be an easy hold for Kim evolved into a long running Belgian soap opera with only the cliffhanger missing.
Clijsters won the game and charged Azarenka with the difficulty of serving for a one set lead. Both girls must have robotic extendable arms because on countless occasions they were able to extend the course of rallies by reaching for backhands and forehands that physically are not capable of such reach by the human body in its natural form. Not only did the players reach the quality shots from the other side of the net, but they produced amazing counter responses which often equated to winners.Vika remained strong and did win the set 6-4 to be statistically halfway to the final, but with far more than half the work yet to be done.
Kim battled manfully (because I could not think of the gender correct alternative adverb)in the first game of the second set and held on. As so often appears to happen, when opportunities are not taken, the non-takee is burnt the very next game on their serve. This is precisely what beset Vika and she trailed for the first time in the match by a break. Kim pushed the lead to 3-0 with incredible feats of retrieval learned from her days spent with Lleyton - she did gain something out of that relationship after all.
The next break of the Azarenka serve was due more to the inconsistency of the server and Kim now had the set in her pocket 4-0 then quickly 30-0. Mentally Vika now was preparing for the deciding set. She needed desperately to eradicate the errors that had frequented her game, because Clijsters was not making any of which to speak.
0-5 and deuce - Vika had to hold and avoid serving second in the last. She did hold, then once again went through the motions knowing the set was gone, and that the match was tied, with Vika at the line to take first advantage in an advantage final set. Clijsters the second set 6-1.
A break point saved, relief engulfed the third seed who led 1-0 after many searching rallies and clutch shots filled a fascinating entry into the third set. Lightning struck from nowhere and the weather forecasters have some explaining to do to Kim. Azarenka destroyed the Clijsters serve to love, and now had a break to add to her serving first. However nothing stays the same for long, and Kim had three break points of her own to play with only moments later. She picked the third of these as the one with which to force the return break, although the double fault from Vika saved Kim from having to do anything.
1-2 and back on serve, not that serve had anything advantageous associated with it at the moment. Evidence further pointed to that when Kim struggled at 15-40, recovered with fine tennis before finally tripping before the line with a double fault to trail 1-3.
Vika elected to ignore the prevailing protocol and hold onto her next serve which annoyed Kim immensely now that she fell 1-4 behind and felt the compulsion to win a succession of games. One in a row achieved, Clijsters set after the Kvitova delivery. A long service game finally went to Clijsters and she now had it back on serve 3-4.
Vika's disappointment turned to joy when Kim found herself at 0-40. Even some brilliance from the defending champ could not prevent the break and Vika would be serving for a final berth at 5-3. Not even an outstanding performance today from Kim Clijsters was destined to prevent Victoria Azarenka from making her debut Grand Slam singles final. A double fault at 40-0 only added a statistic on the way to a comfortable hold for the Belarusian who won 6-4 1-6 6-3. The match lived up to its billing of a Grand Slam semi final, and the winner of the next semi would be up against a finalist now on a 10 match winning streak in Australia.
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