Madison Keys came back from one set down to beat Elina Svitolina 3-6 6-3 6-4 after 1 hour and 42 minutes in their first head-to-head match in the Rod Laver Arena booking a spot in the third Australian Open semifinal of her career after reaching the last four at this tournament in 2015 and 2022. The US player has advanced to her seventh semifinal at Grand Slam level.
Svitolina saved two break points in the fifth game before breaking serve in the eighth game to win the first set 6-3. Keys broke serve to go up 4-2 and held on her serve to win the second set 6-3. Keys needed only break in the fifth game of the third set with a backhand return winner to take a 3-2 lead. Svitolina was not able to earn a break point in the final set.
“I think in the second set I really just started trying to get to the net a lot more and really kind of take advantage of some of the short balls that I was getting. Just being able to do that, I feel like I ran with the momentum after that”, said Keys.
Keys has reached her first Australian Open semifinal for the first time since 2022.
Keys set up a semifinal against Iga Swiatek, who cruised past Emma Navarro 6-1 6-2 in their quarter final.
Swiatek leads 4-1 in her five head-to-head matches against her US rival, although they are 1-1 in their two head-to-head matches on hard court. Keys beat Swiatek in Cincinnati 2022.
“I am really proud of myself to be in another semifinal here and kind of hoping and looking forward to see if I can make it one step further”, said Keys.
Keys has extended her winning streak to ten consecutive matches in 2022 after winning her ninth title in Adelaide. She has a seasonal record of 12-1. She lost her only match this season against Clara Tauson in Auckland.
In the earlier rounds at this year’s edition of the Australian Open Keys beat Elena Gabriela Ruse 7-6 (7-1) 2-6 7-5 before beating three seeds in a row, number 10 seed Danielle Collins and number 6 seed Elena Rybakina and Elena Svitolina. Keys is one win away from her second Grand Slam final. She lost to Sloane Stephens in her only previous Grand Slam final at the 2017 US Open.
Ten years ago Keys made a major breakthough when she beat Venus Williams for the first time in a tight three-set quarter final match at the 2015 Australian Open setting up a semifinal against Serena Williams.
“I think if I could go back, I would just say to try to enjoy it a little bit more and maybe try not to put much pressure on yourself that it had to be right now. I think that there has been a handful of times in my career where it felt like if it did not happen right now, would it ever happen ? I think I am getting to the point where I am starting to appreciate my career for what it has been, and it does not have to have a Grand Slam in order for me to look at it and say, I have done a really really good job, and I have been really left everything out there. It’s a really great era of tennis right now because you can still be playing some of your best tennis as 30 is approaching and event past that. There is just so many players that are into their 30s and they are playing some really good tennis. I think it’s really nice to see all of these people that I played juniors with that we are still out here”,said Keys.