Australian Open 2012: Victoria Azarenka Shows Grit Reaching 1st Grand Slam Final

Victoria Azarenka could have folded like she was supposed to when Kim Clijsters fought back to win the second set at the Australian Open on Thursday.

She could have crumbled when Clijsters was battling back in the third set.

But Azarenka defeated the defending champion on Thursday in Melbourne, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, and reached her first Grand Slam singles final of her career.

Leading up to the semifinals matchup with Clijsters, there were concerns about Azarenka's composure and maturity on the court. After all, she is only 22 years old.

Clijsters, on the other hand, was just the opposite, perhaps the most composed and headstrong women's tennis player we have seen at the Australian Open this year (and last year). On top of that, she had virtually the entire crowd behind her.

So when Clijsters dominated Azarenka in the second set, you could almost hear the chips falling in Clijsters' favor.

Not so fast. Azarenka, showing a maturity and focus we hadn't seen from her in her career, showed the world that she is indeed a rising player in women's tennis, stunning Clijsters in the process. She made fewer errors and showed a combination of power and placement that gives her a legitimate shot to win in the final and grab the world No. 1 ranking.

At one point, Clijsters had battled back to 3-4 in the third set after some rallies that would have possibly devastated Azarenka in the past. But all Azarenka did was calmly win the next game before closing the final set out, 6-3.

There was so much that could have derailed Victoria Azarenka mentally on Thursday in Melbourne, but, then again, this isn't the same Victoria Azarenka.