Unexpected final at the Australian Open: the double title holder Aryna Sabalenka, world N.1, will face the American Madison Keys (14th), who managed to eliminate Iga Swiatek (2nd) on Thursday.
After the easy qualification of the Belarusian against the Spanish Paula Badosa (12th) at the start of the program, everything seemed to indicate that his Polish rival, ruthless since the start of the tournament and winner 7-5 of the first round, was going to join her for him Contested the title.
But the five-time winner in Grand Slam (4 Roland-Garros and 1 US Open) completely thwarted in the second set against Keys, lost 6-1 in 27 minutes, before conceding the last round at the Super Tie-Break after having wasted a match point. Beaten 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10/8), the 2nd world player therefore remains stuck at the stadium of the semi-finals in Melbourne, already reached in 2022 but never exceeded.
The 23 -year -old Warsovienne also loses an opportunity to recover the throne of N.1 in the world, of which Sabalenka dropped it in October but which she would have returned if she had beaten the Belarusian in the final.
“I'm still trying to do what's going on. Yes, I'm in the final!” launched, incredulous, Madison Keys.
Seven and a half years after his first Grand Slam final, lost against Sloane Stephens at the 2017 US Open, the tomb of Swiattek offers 29 years a second chance to win a Grand Slam title.
– “goose flesh” –
For this, she will have to defeat the double holder of the title Aryna Sabalenka (26), who made Thursday one of her strongest matches since the start of the Australian fortnight against her friend Paula Badosa.
By reaching a third ranking final in Melbourne, the native of Minsk has signed an unprecedented performance since 2017 and the three games for the consecutive title of Serena Williams (crowned in 2015 and 2017).
She could go back even further in time if she came to win the trophy on Saturday. No player has managed to triumph three years in Melbourne from the Swiss Martina Hingis, titled without discontinuing in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
-A perspective that gives her “goosebumps,” she confessed to the court after his victory. “It would mean so much for me if I managed to register my name in history,” added Aryna Sabalenka, under the eyes in particular of the Australian legend Margaret Court, winner of 24 Grand Chelem titles.
The world n.1 was sovereign against her friend Paula Badosa, after having suffered in the 3rd round against the Danish Clara Tauson (42nd), difficult to beat in two sets, then being scared in the quarter -finals against the Russian Anastasia pavlyuchenkova (32nd), defeated in three rounds.
Just she put two games to settle at the start of the game, conceding the station wagon from her first service game and multiplying direct faults. Led 2-0, 40-0, the “tiger” Bélarusse suddenly rugged to break up and confirm on its service (2-2).
After a very hung fifth, the world N.1 managed to break its Spanish opponent a second time to seize orders from the game and no longer let go of them.
In the final, she will however have to be wary of Keys, who has remarkably defended against Swiatek, in difficulty on her service and often unable to conclude the points in the face of the tenacity of her opponent, who was playing his third semi-final in Melbourne.
The third set illustrated the fighting spirit of the American, who notably survived a match ball at 6-5, against an opponent who had beat her four times in five confrontations.
Keys and Badosa will reintegrate the world top 10 on Monday, which they had left respectively in January 2023 and October 2022. The Spaniard even tumbled until 140th in the world after a fracture of fatigue on the back which spoiled the end of its 2023 season and a part of 2024.
DGA / HPA
