China's Li Na upset world number one and top seed Caroline Wozniacki 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the final of the Australian Open on Thursday.
Ninth seed Li saved a match point in the second set before fighting back to beat the 20-year-old Dane and become the first Chinese player to reach a grand slam singles final.
But the Chinese saved her best tennis for when she really needed it, saving the match point and caressing a sharp volley to break back to 5-5.
With red-clad Chinese fans screaming "Jia you!" (come on), Li sealed the set when Wozniacki crumbled with a double-fault, sending her husband Jiang Shan scurrying for a convenience break.
Both players struggled to hold serve in a final set of unrelenting tension, but Li captured the decisive break at 4-3 when Wozniacki netted a shot after a ferocious baseline battle.
Li stood firm when serving for the match, sealing it when Wozniacki clubbed a shot wide to raise China's hopes of a maiden singles grand slam champion.
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