China’s Li Na has pushed aside Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard to sweep into her third Australian Open final.
In a match she began with a rush, Li ended Bouchard’s Melbourne debut 6-2 6-4
On paper the semi-final between the fourth and 30th seeds leaned heavily in Li’s direction, and in the opening set the Chinese No.1 seemed set to destroy her opponent.
Apart from the seventh game when she dropped serve Li had control of the set, taking only 28 minutes to establish a 1-0 lead.
A more composed Bouchard fought back in the second set, but offered little resistance against a vastly more experienced opponent.
Li dominated in every area and will be a clear favourite in Saturday’s final in which she will play either Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova or Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska.