Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek went head-to-head on Thursday evening (local time) in the second Australian Open women’s singles semi-final.
After winning the Adelaide International earlier in the month, Keys has continued her stellar form, reaching the last four of a grand slam for the first time since the US Open in 2023.
Despite this, she entered her clash with Swiatek as an underdog, with her world No. 2 opponent enjoying a scintillating run leading into the match.
The Polish star had yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park, giving up a minuscule 14 games across five matches.
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Madison Keys vs. Iga Swiatek score, result
It was Madison Keys who won in impressive fashion, coming from behind to stun Iga Swiatek 5-7 6-1 7-6(8).
The opening set featured a remarkable seven breaks of serve.
Over the first four games, neither player held serve as they struggled to find some consistency.
By the fifth game, Swiatek eventually avoided the break and assumed control of the set before Keys broke again and tied things up at 5-5.
However, was the Pole who held her nerve in the crucial stages, hitting a pair of backhand winners in the last game of the set to take it 7-5.
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Key found herself on an absolute tear in the second set, winning five consecutive games. At one point, she hit three aces in a row.
While she couldn’t secure an infamous ‘bagel’ by winning to love, she still got the job done in commanding fashion 6-1, and took the match to a deciding set.
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Both players delivered a thrilling third set, going hammer and tongs with a spot in the final on the line.
In a change from the first two sets, Keys and Swiatek were able to hold their own serve, with no breaks through the first 10 games.
The pair played out some sensational rallies and exchanged impressive winners.
Then, Swiatek got the crucial break to go up 6-5. She had a match point at 40-30 but went on to have her serve broken by a stubborn Keys.
A 10-point tiebreak followed, with both players claiming multiple mini-breaks in the tense, early stages.
It was Keys, however, who strung together three crucial points down 7-8, winning the super tiebreak 10-8.
When is the Australian Open women’s singles final?
Keys will take on Aryna Sabalenka in this year’s women’s singles decider.
The final will start at 7:30 pm local time (AEDT) on Saturday, January 25.
