America's Sofia Kenin Advances to Australian Open Final After Upset Over No. 1 Ashleigh Barty

American tennis player Sofia Kenin needed strong forehands, timely backhands and overwhelming will, but she has done it again. Kenin defeated Australia's Ashleigh Barty in straight sets Thursday morning to advance to the finals of the Australian Open.

Kenin overcame a deficit in both sets to upset the Open's top seed, and the home country's favorite, to win it 7-6, 7-5, in the women's semifinal.

Kenin, 21, advances to face the winner of Thursday's other semifinal between No. 4-seeded Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza.

The journey to the Australian Open wasn't an easy path for Kenin, and not just who she faced along the way. Her parents moved to New York City in 1987 to flee the Soviet Union, but returned to Moscow in 1998 for the birth of Sofia so she could be raised with the help of other family members.

The family returned to the States, and Sofia quickly became a player to watch in the future.

Sofia Kenin, though ranked No. 12 in the world, seemed like an underdog while facing fellow American Cocoa Gauff in the round of 16 last weekend. Gauff won the first set, 7-6, but Kenin stormed back to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-0, to advance to the quarterfinals.

Kenin defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4. 6-4, to make the semifinals, and a match with the No. 1 women's player—and 2019 French Open champion—Ashleigh Barty.

Barty won more aces and had better win percentages on second serves, but Kenin played more consistently and had fewer errors throughout the match. A long shot that landed outside the lines by Barty on the final point gave Kenin the win, and prevented the pair from going into a deuce set.

Now, Kenin will aim for her first major tennis title.

"It means everything," Kennin said on ESPN after her semifinal win. "I've been dreaming of this since I was little. It hasn't sunk in yet."

Kenin trains in Miami, where much of the sports world has its eyes right now because of the upcoming Super Bowl this weekend. Kenin trains in the Miami heat and humidity, but the transition to Melbourne was rather sweaty, she said.

Now Kenin can continue her run as she will play for a major title in Australia on Saturday.

After a brief, and very successful, career on the world junior circuit, Kenin turned pro in 2017 and was named the World Tennis Association's "Most Improved Player" for 2018.

Her Thursday match was her first-ever semifinal match in a major tournament after winning several titles as a junior competitor.