Iga ¦wiatek in the semi-finals of the Australian Open! What a performance by the Polish woman! Tennis

Iga Świątek (2nd WTA) appeared in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the second time in her career. Her rival in the semi-final was Emma Navarro (8th). She is the first opponent of the Polish woman, who will play as a seed in this year's tournament in Melbourne. Therefore – at least in theory – this was supposed to be the most difficult task for our Tennis player so far.

Especially since Navarro has had an excellent 2024 season. She reached, among others: to the semi-finals of the US Open or the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. In December, the Women's Tennis Organization awarded the American in the “Progress of the Year” category. How did she fare in the Australian Open match against Iga Świątek?

Great set by Iga Świątek

The beginning of the match was perfect for our tennis player. Already in the first game she broke Navarro to zero. She made excellent returns and took the initiative in exchanges. She played too fast for her opponent.

Świątek did not slow down with her pass. She generated amazing angles on both her backhand and forehand. In this situation, the American was forced to run intensively. And let's remember that in the first four Australian Open matches she spent over 10 hours on the court, Świątek just over four hours.

In the next game, Navarro finally won her serve, although after a considerable fight. She benefited from a few minor mistakes made by the runner-up in the ranking. The American usually plays very regularly, but she also had to look for opportunities to attack to score points with the Pole.

After a while it was 3:1 for Świątek. There was a slight problem with her second serve, because Navarro managed to attack this serve aggressively twice and score a point. As a result, our tennis player was aware that she had to serve more aggressively and made a double service fault. However, she then served longer and still safely, took control in the rallies and won the third game.

A moment later, Iga Świątek felt a chance to break again. First, she played a return winner, then she made a mistake from her opponent after a long rally. However, Navarro defended the break point when she nicely passed the Polish woman standing at the net.

However, the American later broke another forehand, Świątek showed off her crowning move – a backhand down the line – and jumped back to 4:1. After the last point, she looked towards her cubicle with her hand clenched. She controlled the game.

Navarro could have broken down right after our tennis player confirmed the break, going 5:1. In the last exchange, the Pole first hit the right corner of the court, and then the left one. Great action, virtually indefensible. The fans in the stands were moved by how accurate and precise the Polish tennis player's plays were.

Even 40:0 on her serve did not help the American to win the game. The Pole pressed hard, faced her opponent's mistakes and won the set 6-1. Emma Navarro couldn't find a way to threaten the favorite in this game. She lacked self-confidence, but it's hardly surprising since she couldn't hold her serve even with a high lead.

Iga Świątek semi-final!

The beginning of the second set was more even. Emma Navarro served better and held serve twice. She also added more aggression, which was best seen in the fourth game. She had a great forehand winner, then she hit Iga Świątek, and another time she had a successful smash and the score was 2:2.

After a while, we had the most interesting part of the meeting so far. The conditions on the court changed slightly and the wind started blowing stronger. Świątek made a few mistakes and Navarro had a chance to break through. The Pole defended her serve well and then won the point after a crazy action that put both players at the net.

The American complained to the referee that he awarded her opponent a point. Television replays actually showed that on Świątek's side, when the drop shot occurred, the ball had already bounced off the court twice. However, a point for the runner-up in the ranking and 3:2.

Read also: Iga Świątek waited three years for this

A moment later, longer rallies fell to our tennis player. She played too hard and too regularly again, and Navarro couldn't stand it. She lost her serve and it was 2:4 from her perspective. A very passive pass didn't help her either.

Another longer game on Iga Świątek's serve, but another one she won. Emma Navarro did everything she could to stand up to the Pole. There were a lot of intense exchanges, but most of them ended favorably for the favorite. Thanks to this, she jumped to 5:2. And after a while she pressed her opponent once again, made the last break and it was 6:2. The American defended herself devotedly, but was unable to stop the speeding Polish woman.

In the Australian Open semi-finals, Iga Świątek will play against American Madison Keys, who defeated Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals. This meeting will take place on Thursday. In the second semi-final match, Aryna Sabalenka will face Paula Badosa. Broadcasts on Eurosport, reports on Sport.pl.