Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Thursday January 23, 2025 at 2:21 p.m.
Madison Keys created a sensation at the Australian Open by eliminating world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semi-final, in a super tie-break, won after midnight. It is therefore the American who will challenge Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Sunday.
Still no clash in the Grand Slam final for the current two best players in the world! While Aryna Sabalenka qualified for her third final in a row at the Australian Open earlier, Iga Swiatek failed to join her. The world No. 2, looking for a first final in Melbourne, lost to Madison Keys, the world No. 14. Yet favorite given her start to the tournament, where she won all her matches in straight sets, and her past against the American (four victories in five matches), the Pole fell on a bone. After a tough 2h36 battle concluded in the super tie-break at past midnight, the Illinois player won 5-7, 6-1, 7-6. Unaccustomed to being challenged since the start of the tournament (14 games lost in five matches), Iga Swiatek lost her serve at the start of the match. But the same thing had happened to Aryna Sabalenka two hours earlier and that didn't stop her from winning easily. Moreover, from the next game, the Pole equalized at 1-1. But the two players were clearly not having a great day serving (7 double faults for Swiatek, 4 for Keys, 16 break points to defend on each side), and the first four games of the match ended with a break. From 2-2, the world No. 2 finally found her rhythm and accelerated to lead 5-2. She even got a set point, but missed it, and Keys got back to 5-5. Everything had to be done again for the Pole, who gave everything at 6-5 in return to sign another break and pocket the set (7-5).
Swiatek missed a match point
But the second round turned into a nightmare for Iga Swiatek, who completely lost her means. Author of only three winning shots during this round, and unable to win a single point on a second ball, the Pole was broken three times on three occasions to find herself trailing 5-0. And even if she managed to erase one of the breaks behind (5-1), she lost her serve again in the next game, allowing Keys to equalize at one set everywhere. The third set promised to be full of suspense, and that was indeed the case. Despite break points on each side, including three in a row in favor of Swiatek at 4-4, the two players held on until 5-5. It was then that the world No. 2 managed to make the break, and even get a match point at 6-5. But she sent her backhand into the net, before committing a double fault, and Keys therefore won the right to play a super tie-break. A great tie-break where Swiatek led 3-1 then 5-3 and 7-5. But Keys didn't give up, didn't panic, and from 7-8 she won three consecutive pointsthe last of which thanks to a too long ball from Swiatek, which gave him the victory! At 30, Madison Keys returns to a Grand Slam final, seven and a half years after her defeat against Sloane Stephens at the US Open. Beaten four times out of five by Aryna Sabalenka (her only victory came on the Berlin grass in 2021), the American will not start as favorite on Saturday against the Belarusian, invincible for 20 matches in Melbourne.
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