Li Na beats Eugenie Bouchard to make Australian Open final

Li Na advanced to her second successive Australian Open final with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Eugenie Bouchard on Thursday. Li never allowed Bouchard to settle in the opening exchanges, taking a 5-0 lead that allowed her to seal the first set in 28 minutes.

China's Li Na advanced to her second successive Australian Open final with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard on Thursday.

The 19-year-old Bouchard had advanced to her first grand slam semi-final after an impressive run through the tournament, which included a victory over former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.

The experienced Li never allowed Bouchard to settle in the opening exchanges, taking a 5-0 lead that allowed her to seal the first set in 28 minutes.

The teenager had found her range to snatch two games late in the first set and that momentum continued when she took a 2-0 lead in the second.

However, the recovery was short-lived when Li rattled off three successive games, and six of the final eight, to set up a final against either Dominika Cibulkova or fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska.