At a tournament with a hard-court surface on which he thrives, and in a city where he is warmly backed by its large Greek population, Tsitsipas has long appeared destined for success at the Australian Open.
The towering youngster announced his arrival there with a famous 2019 win over defending champion Roger Federer in the fourth round, only for a captivating run to be ended when he was crushed by Rafael Nadal in his first semi-final appearance.
Long-time rival Daniil Medvedev ended his dreams at the last-four stage in both 2021 and 2022, with another Russian - the powerful Khachanov - standing in his way this time.
Backed by a vocal crowd who waved Greek flags after virtually all of his winning points, Tsitsipas started confidently against a player who he had beaten in all of their five previous encounters.
Khachanov could not cope with Tsitsipas' pounding groundstrokes and dynamic athleticism as the world number four moved two sets ahead.
When Tsitsipas broke early in the third set and moved into a 5-4 lead which left him serving for the match, few on Rod Laver Arena expected anything other than a straight-set win.
However, nerves kicked in for Tsitsipas, who suddenly looked unsure with his groundstrokes, and Khachanov cut loose to extend the contest.
After a bathroom break before the fourth set, Tsitsipas returned free of the weight of expectation and broke Khachanov's serve at the first opportunity.
Dominant service games from that point ensured there would be no repeat of the previous set as he finally reached the final of what he calls his "home" Grand Slam event.
"I feel blessed for the fact I'm able to play tennis at this level and for many years I've wanted to put Greek tennis on the map - Maria [Sakkari] and I have done that, I think," Tsitsipas said.
"Coming from a small country like Greece I feel so grateful I get support like this.
"I never thought I would be treated so well here so I'm extremely happy I'm in the final now - let's see what happens."
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