Did a then red-hot Emma Navarro have a bit of bad luck by drawing five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the Australian Open quarterfinals?
Navarro might have still been playing Down Under if she had faced anyone other than Swiatek. The Charleston star just didn’t match up well against Swiatek. Another day she might have been better, and Swiatek might not have been so determined to dominate Navarro.
SHOES WERE ON THE OTHER FOOT IN SEMIS
Against Navarro, the Polish standout played like the player who went 125 straight weeks as the WTA’s top-ranked player before late October last year. A different player showed up to take on Keys, who has done everything but win a Grand Slam singles title.
The eighth-ranked Navarro won only three games against Swiatek. Navarro played as badly as Swiatek played well.
Navarro wasn’t the same player who had won four straight three-set matches in Melbourne.
The shoe was on the other foot in the semifinals. Swiatek’s game took the hit this time.
When Madison Keys’ game was on, Swiatek was rather helpless.
SWIATEK HAD HER CHANCES
Of course, Swiatek really didn’t play that well in her 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (8) loss to Keys in the semifinals. Swiatek had her chances against the hard-hitting Keys, such as when Swiatek grabbed a 7-5 lead in the third-set tiebreaker.
Against Navarro, Swiatek was everywhere, showing total aggression. Surprisingly, Navarro couldn’t match Swiatek’s attack mode of corner-to-corner, then down-the-line.
IGA COULDN’T HANDLE KEYS’ POWER
One match later, Swiatek hit balls everywhere. She often couldn’t handle Keys’ powerful ground strokes or big serves.
So, now it will be interesting to see how Keys handles top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka’s huge game and talent in the Australian Open final. If Sabalenka is on, Keys will face a tough challenge.
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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.
Beck writes for USTA Southern. See his latest article at: https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/southern/wilmington-s-scott-receives-pro-of-the-year-award.html#tab=tournaments
He also writes about the Grand Slams at World Tennis Magazine and ubitennis.net/author/james-beck/
