An American is again in a Grand Slam ultimate. Veteran Madison Keys took down No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek in an exciting three-set match (5-7, 6-1, 7-6(8)) within the Australian Open semifinals Thursday to advance to simply the second Grand Slam ultimate of her profession.
Keys, 29, used her energy to regulate most of the factors towards the agile Swiatek, who bows out of the Aussie Open nonetheless with out amassing the title in her profession. After battling again from down 5-2 within the first set, Keys was damaged once more late to fall 7-5 and wanted a turnaround.
That got here within the type of 4 breaks of Swiatek’s serve within the second set to win 6-1 and arrange the pivotal ultimate set with all of the momentum on Keys’ facet.
“Yeah, I am nonetheless attempting to catch as much as every little thing that is taking place,” Keys stated after the match. “I am within the finals. That match was such excessive stage and she or he performed so effectively and I used to be simply preventing to remain in it. To be standing right here and be within the finals, I am simply so blissful I get to be right here on Saturday.”
After clear service video games via the primary seven, Keys discovered herself in bother twice on serve to go down love-40. She managed to stave off the primary break however could not do the identical on the second to go down 5-6. Needing a break to remain within the match and go to a 10-point tiebreak, Keys managed to get Swiatek down 30-40. Then, the five-time Grand Slam champion double-faulted to provide the American life heading into the tiebreak.
Keys’ stamina was clearly drained as she continued to go lengthy on lots of her returns within the tiebreak. Keys by no means led till the ultimate factors. Down 7-8, Keys managed to carry onto each her factors on serve and power Swiatek to attempt to keep alive when Swiatek performed a return shot deep and out.
“I really feel like on the finish, we have been each type of battling some nerves and we have been pushing one another,” Keys stated. “I am simply blissful it was me.”
The championship match will mark Keys’ second Grand Slam ultimate of her profession, together with her solely different look coming on the 2017 US Open, which she misplaced to Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-0. She’s going to tackle two-time reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who dispatched Paula Badosa in her semifinal match 6-4, 6-2.
