Australian Open: Madison Keys Triumphs Over Swiatek in Semifinal Thriller

Key Takeaways

Madison Keys saved a match point.
Keys defeated Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(8).
This marks Keys' second Grand Slam final appearance.
Keys has an 11-match winning streak.
She will face Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Melbourne, Jan 23 (NationPress) Madison Keys from the United States remarkably saved a match point to upset No.2 seed Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(8) during the Australian Open semifinals, securing her place in the second Grand Slam final of her career since the 2017 US Open. Previously, Keys had managed to win only one out of five encounters against Swiatek, with all four losses occurring in straight sets.

In a nail-biting finale, the Polish player served to claim a fifth victory at 6-5 in the final set but was unable to convert a match point, hitting a backhand into the net. Keys, who found herself trailing in the subsequent super-tiebreak at 7-5, summoned her best serves just when it mattered most, ultimately claiming the last three points and converting her first match point after a grueling 2 hours and 35 minutes.

The third set was so fiercely contested that Keys was unaware she had faced a match point. After losing the first set, she made an impressive comeback to win the match.

This victory extends Keys' winning streak to 11 matches, coming on the heels of her ninth career WTA Tour title two weeks prior in Adelaide. Currently, this run represents the longest winning streak of her career, surpassing her previous best of 10 matches in 2022. At that time, Keys also celebrated a title in Adelaide and reached the Australian Open semifinals, where she was defeated by Ashleigh Barty.

In the upcoming final, she will face a similar challenge against No.1 seed and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who holds a 4-1 advantage in their head-to-head matchups. This includes victories in all four of their hard-court meetings and both Grand Slam matches. Keys' sole win against her was a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 triumph in the second round of Berlin 2021 on grass.

In the final, Keys aims to become the fourth player this decade to defeat both the World No.1 and World No.2 in the same tournament, following Sabalenka at the 2022 WTA Finals in Fort Worth (where she defeated Ons Jabeur and Swiatek), Barbora Krejcikova at Dubai 2023 (overcoming both Sabalenka and Swiatek), and Elena Rybakina at Indian Wells 2023 (where she beat Swiatek and Sabalenka).

The outcome signifies Swiatek's second defeat in as many Australian Open semifinals. In 2022, she faced a similar fate against another powerful American, Danielle Collins. This loss ensures that Sabalenka will maintain her position as the World No.1 after the Australian Open.