MELBOURNE, Australia — Madison Keys advanced to the Australian Open semifinals for the third time with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Elina Svitolina of Ukraine on Wednesday.
Keys, 29, is on a 10-fight winning streak after setting himself up for the title in Adelaide. In Adelaide, she defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula in the final.
Reaching the semi-finals at Melbourne Park included wins over two former Australian Open finalists, Danielle Collins and Elina Rybakina, in the third and fourth rounds.
Keys, the 2017 US Open runner-up, will next face eighth-seeded Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals, where five-time Grand Slam singles champion Iga Swiatek won 6-1, 6-2. did.
This is Keys' 11th appearance at the Australian Open, but her best performances came against Serena Williams in 2015 and Australia's Ash Barty in 2022, when she lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champion.
“I definitely think I'm playing a little bit smarter…I'm probably a little more fearless,” Keys said of the difference in his game over the decade. “But to be here in the semifinals again 10 years later, I'm really proud of myself and really excited to play again.”
Svitolina took control in the first set and received many adjustments from Keys that changed the course of the match. Keys began to advance toward the net faster and more often, making fewer mistakes and improving range and speed with his booming forehand and serve.
She scored 23 of the 26 points she played at the net and hit 49 winners, including 23 on the forehand side.
It was in the sixth game of the second set that she converted her seventh break point opportunity to go up 4-2. Since then, the momentum has been primarily with the Americans.
Keyes, the 19th seed, broke in the fifth game of the third set and held his own to end the match in just under two hours.
Svitolina, a 30-year-old from Ukraine, is playing in her third quarter-final in Australia, her first since losing to eventual champion Naomi Osaka in 2019.
The former world No. 3 has never gone beyond the last eight at Melbourne Park, with semi-final appearances at Wimbledon in 2023 and 2019 and the US Open in 2019 being her big highlights. There is.
As for second-seeded Swiatek, who has yet to drop a set in this tournament and is aiming for his first title and sixth Grand Slam trophy at Melbourne Park, he has only played 14 games in total. I haven't lost. .
The last woman to reach the Australian Open semifinals after conceding fewer than 15 games was Maria Sharapova in 2013.
“I'm really happy with the tournament overall,” Swiatek said. She will face No. 19 Madison Keyes (USA) on Thursday night for a spot in the final. “It's great to be in the semi-finals. I'll keep pushing harder.”
Swiatek benefited from what appeared to be a missed double bounce on points won in the second set, but Navarro did not immediately request a video review. In any case, Swiatek's superiority was pretty clear, even if she was modest about what happened next.
“Well, I think it was much tougher than the score says,” said Swiatek, a 23-year-old from Poland. “Emma is a fighter…and I wanted to stay focused and maintain my intensity.”
