Justine Henin-Hardenne beat Fabiola Zuluaga in straight sets to reach her first Australian Open final. The world number one lived up to her billing as a heavy favourite for the match, winning 6-2 6-2.
Zuluaga, seeded 32, gave the Belgian a brief scare by fighting back early in each set but never really threatened.
Henin-Hardenne will face fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters in Saturday's final, after her compatriot beat Patty Schnyder.
 |  I really enjoyed playing against Justine in that big stadium |
The match pitches the top two players in the world against each other.
"I'm not going to be the favourite because I'm number one," Henin-Hardenne insisted.
"I mean, we played unbelievable matches in our career. And Kim is a great player.
"We'll see what's going to happen - it's very hard to tell. It's a Grand Slam final. That's going to be another great moment in my career."
The 21-year-old has yet to drop a set in the tournament but insisted she had been given a good test by Zuluaga.
"She's a great player and I had to play good tennis if I wanted to go to the final," said Henin-Hardenne.
"I started well but I had to play better in the second set."
Zuluaga remained upbeat despite the defeat.
"The first three games I was like really nervous but then I was just having fun," said Zuluaga.
"I really enjoyed playing against Justine in that big stadium. I really had fun out there. Feels good. I didn't win, but I had fun."
MMIX
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