Madison Keys beat four-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in a deciding tie-break to win a thrilling semi-final clash and book a meeting with world number one Aryna Sabalenko in the Australian Open final on Saturday.
Keys, the 19th seed, went 5-7 6-1 7-6 (10-8) in a two-hour and 35-minute epic against the world No.2, saving a match point along the way before claiming a memorable victory 10 minutes after midnight.
Swiatek, who dropped just 14 games during her run to the semi-finals in Melbourne, quickly took control of the contest as she broke Keys three times in a row to open the match – atoning for losing her own serve on several occasions.
But the first sign of trouble for the Pole came when she missed a backhand down the line on set point for another break. Instead, Keys held for the first time and immediately broke Swiatek in the next game to restore parity.
Swiatek eventually closed out the set, happily seizing a second set point on Keys' serve to open 7-5 and avoid the need for a tie-breaker.
World number two Iga Swiatek took the first set of her semi-final against Madison Keys
But far from going down in straight sets, Keys stormed back into the match in the second set to take it 6-1 – Swiatek just narrowly avoiding being 'killed' for the first time since 2021.
It was Keys, the 2017 US Open finalist, who looked stronger, dictating play – as Swiatek usually does successfully – with a combination of formidable groundstrokes and fine footwork.
Swiatek, in turn, looked increasingly uncertain and flustered and, after a stubborn start to the third set, looked in trouble as Keys pulled off two break points at 4-3.
But the four-time Grand Slam champion showed all her determination to save both, take the game and then race into a 0-40 lead on Keis' serve for three break points of her own – only for her fired-up opponent to come swinging and save all three as she pushing forward again in the decider.
Swiatek would again lead 0-40 in Keys' next service game and, after the American again struggled to save the first two, Swiatek would this time take the third for what looked to be a crucial break.
It's not like that. Keys saved a match point in the next game before a nervy double fault from Swiatek sent the contest into a deciding 10-point tiebreak, which Keys would eventually emerge victorious from – despite trailing for most of it.
Sabalenka is in the final because her goal is the third consecutive title
Sabalenka reached the final of the Australian Open for the third year in a row with a dominant 6-4 6-2 win over Paula Badosa.
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Highlights of Arya Sabalenka vs. Paula Badosa from the Australian Open semifinals
The 2023 and 2024 Melbourne champion, Sabalenka looked in ominous form at Rod Laver Arena in a crushing victory against Spain's Badosa.
In a meeting between two great friends off the court, Badosa actually broke Sabalenka first and took a 2-0 lead in the first set, as the top seed made a series of unforced errors.
From that moment on, Sabalenka exploded into life, however, with her power coming to the fore and dominating most aspects as she ran four games in a row to break Badoša twice and take a 4-2 lead – the first break coming after 40- 0 and the second made from the fourth attempt within the marathon game.
Badosa managed to hold twice more in the set, falling on her own strong serve, but she was nowhere close to upsetting Sabalenka as the latter won the first set 6-4 with an ace.
In the second, Sabalenka broke Badosa by the third game, while the Spaniard double-faulted twice and seemed to be losing faith.
Sabalenka's controlled power left Badosa powerless to respond as she was broken again despite coming out on top in her next service game, trailing 5-1 when Sabalenka again held.
Serving to stay in the semis, Badosa produced strong serves and a terrific backhand winner to stay in the match, but could only delay the inevitable as Sabalenka proved too strong in the next game to finish things off.
Sabalenka got chills because of three consecutive victories
“I'm getting chills,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview about the prospect of winning a third consecutive Australian Open. “I'm so proud of myself and my team that we put ourselves in such a situation.
“It's a privilege. If I'm able to put my name in history, it will mean a lot to me – it will mean the world to me. I couldn't even dream of that.
“I just wanted to win at least one Grand Slam. To have this opportunity is amazing. I will go out and give everything I have in the final.”
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