Always relentless, world No.2 Iga Swiatek reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday, where she will face Madison Keys (14th), before the quarter-final of Jannik Sinner (1st), who will attempt to join Ben Shelton (20th) in the last four.
– Swiatek enchaîne, Keys stop Svitolina –
The rounds follow one another and are similar for Iga Swiatek: winner in two sets of her matches since the start of the tournament, the Pole continued her momentum in the quarters against the American Emma Navarro, a specialist in marathon matches but defeated 6 -1, 6-2.
“It was a lot more difficult than the score suggests,” commented Swiatek who had to work hard at the start of the second set to stay in control. “Emma is a fighter. I’m happy to have won these close games, that’s what made the difference,” she said.
Swiatek “keeps trying, even when she misses a shot. She is merciless,” Navarro stressed.
Against the world No.8, the Pole advanced all the more confidently as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on Monday that it would not appeal the one-month suspension (already served) imposed on the World No. 2 by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (Itia) after a positive test for trimetazidine, a banned product.
Iga Swiatek, who maintained that her contamination was accidental, declared herself “satisfied” with WADA’s decision.
She reached the final four in Melbourne for the second time in her career, three years after her first semi-final. Being back at this level is “great”, but “I’m going to fight to go further”, she warned.
Polish Iga Swiatek during her match against German Eva Lys at the Australian Open in Melbourne, January 20, 2025
Martin KEEP – AFP
She will face Thursday against the American Madison Keys, who qualified by beating the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (27th) earlier in the day.
The 2017 US Open finalist, now a three-time semi-finalist in Melbourne (2015, 2022, 2025), won 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in just under two hours, facing a player she beat four times in six duels.
After losing the first set, “I felt like I had to play a little more aggressively. She was controlling a lot of points and making me run,” Keys noted.
-“Fortunately (…), I play a little more intelligently” than in 2015, the year of her first half, she concluded.
On Tuesday, double title holder in Melbourne Aryna Sabalenka qualified for the semi-finals. She will challenge the Spaniard Paula Badosa (12th) on Thursday, who beat the American Coco Gauff (3rd) to offer herself, at 27, her first Grand Slam semi-final.
– Shelton resists Sonego –
American Ben Shelton signs autographs after his match against Frenchman Gaël Monfils at the Australian Open in Melbourne, January 20, 2025
David GRAY-AFP
Manhandled in the last two sets, Ben Shelton (20th) resisted the return of the Italian Lorenzo Sonego (55th) to reach, for the second time in his career after the US Open 2023, the last four of a tournament in Grand Slam.
Winner 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), the 22-year-old American said he was “relieved” to reach the semi-finals after “one of the favorite matches of his career.”
“I congratulate Lorenzo Sonego because we played extraordinary tennis,” added Shelton.
In the next round he will face world No.1 Jannik Sinner or Australian Alex De Minaur (8th), who will face each other later in the evening.
Monday, in the round of 16, the Italian title holder seemed to suffer from the heat, leaving the court with a scarlet face during a medical timeout and confident after the match of having suffered from “dizziness”.
The temperature, much milder on Wednesday (around twenty degrees), should favor Sinner, who has never lost against De Minaur in nine duels.
Par Damien GAUDISSART / Melbourne (AFP) / © 2025 AFP
