Australian Open: Madison Keys stuns Iga Swiatek in thrilling semi-final to book Aryna Sabalanka meeting in final | Tennis News happymamay

Madison Keys defeated Iga Swiatek, the winner of four Grand Slam titles, in a decisive tiebreaker to qualify for the semi-finals and book a date with world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final on Saturday.

Keys, ranked 19th, defeated the world number two 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) in a match that lasted two hours and 35 minutes against the world number two, and saved a match point before snatching an unforgettable victory. Victory 10 minutes after midnight.

Swiatek, who had lost just 14 games during her run to the semi-finals in Melbourne, quickly took control of the match and broke Keys three times in a row at the start, making up for a break on two occasions.

But the first sign of trouble for the Poles came when she missed a backhand down the line on set point for another break point. Instead, Keys held on for the first time and promptly broke Swiatek in the ensuing game to restore parity.

Swiatek eventually closed out the set, happily taking her second chance to take a set point from Keys to win the opener 7-5 and avoid the need for a tiebreaker.

But far from losing in straight sets, Keys stormed back into the match in the second set, which she would win 6-1, with Swiatek only avoiding “bread” for the first time since 2021.

It was Keys, a 2017 US Open finalist, who looked the stronger, dictating play – as Swiatek often does with success – with a combination of fearsome groundstrokes and brilliant footwork.

Swiatek appeared increasingly hesitant and nervous, and after a cautious start in the third set, she appeared to be in trouble, and Keys grabbed two break points and advanced 4-3.

But the four-time Grand Slam champion showed all her resolve to save both, win the match, then go 0-40 on Keys’ serve to earn three break points – only for her eager rival to come running. She swings in and saves all three as she takes the lead once again in the decider.

Swiatek would again lead 0-40 in Keys’ next service game, and after the American once again fought back to save the first two, Swiatek this time captured the third with what appeared to be the deciding break.

not so. Keys saved a match point in the subsequent game before Swiatek’s tense double fault sent the match to a 10-point tiebreaker, from which Keys would ultimately emerge victorious – despite trailing most of the time.

Sabalenka is in the final and is looking forward to a third title in a row

Sabalenka qualified for the Australian Open final for the third year in a row, beating Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2.

Sabalenka, the 2023 and 2024 champion in Melbourne, looked in ominous condition at Rod Laver Arena in a landslide victory over Spain’s Badosa.

In an off-court encounter between two great friends, Badosa broke Sabalenka’s serve first to take a 2-0 lead in the first set, as the top seed committed a series of unforced errors.

From that moment on, Sabalenka exploded into life, with her power coming to the fore and her dominance in most aspects as she went four games in a row to break Badosa twice and take a 4-2 lead – the first break coming from 40-0 down and the second taken at the fourth attempt in a marathon match. .

Badosa was able to hold twice more in the set, and retreated thanks to her strong serve, but she did not come close to disturbing Sabalenka, and the latter settled the first set 6-4 via an ace.

In the second game, Sabalenka broke Badosa’s serve in the third game after the Spanish player committed a double fault and it seemed that she began to lose her confidence in herself.

Sabalenka’s dominant power left Badosa unable to respond as she was broken again despite emerging in front in the next service game and trailing 5-1 when Sabalenka held out again.

In her quest to stay in the semi-finals, Badosa served powerful serves and a brilliant backhand to stay in the match, but she only succeeded in delaying the inevitable as Sabalenka proved her strength in the next game and was unable to decide the matter.

Sabalenka feels ‘goosebumps’ after winning three straight titles

“I feel goosebumps,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview about the possibility of winning the Australian Open title for the third time in a row. “I’m very proud of myself and my team for putting ourselves in a position like this.

“It’s a huge honour. If I could put my name in history, it would mean a lot – it would mean the world to me. I couldn’t even dream of it.”

“I just wanted to win at least one Grand Slam title. To have this opportunity is incredible. I will go out and give it my all in the final.”

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