Swiatek continues to journey, and can face Keys within the Aussie semi finals

MELBOURNE, Australia — Iga Swiatek’s newest win on the Australian Open got here with a 6-1, 6-2 quarterfinal win over No. 8 seed Emma Navarro on Wednesday.

No. 2 seed Swiatek has not solely dropped a set to this point within the event, however has additionally misplaced simply 14 video games as she seeks her first title at Melbourne Park and sixth Grand Slam title general. The final lady to achieve the semifinals of the Australian Open after dropping fewer than 15 video games was Maria Sharapova in 2013.

“I am very proud of the entire event,” stated Swiatek, who will face No. 19 Madison Keys of the US on Thursday evening within the last. “Being on the video games is nice. I’ll push for one thing else.”

Swiatek benefited from what seemed to be a double miss for a degree win within the second set, however Navarro didn’t instantly request a video assessment. In any case, Swiatek’s dominance was clear, even when he was modest about issues later.

“Nicely, I believe it was harder than the rating says,” stated Swiatek, 23, from Poland. “Emma is a fighter … and I wished to remain centered and preserve my momentum.”

The opposite ladies’s semifinal is No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, in opposition to her finest pal, No. 11 Paula Badosa.

Keys, whose finest efficiency was reaching the title match on the 2017 US Open, gained 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in opposition to Elina Svitolina and is into her third semifinal in Australia.

“Madison is an excellent and skilled participant, so that you by no means know,” stated Swiatek, who’s 4-1 in opposition to the 29-year-old Keys. “I am going to simply deal with myself.”

Utilizing a brand new racquet this season, Keys is on a 10-match successful streak, together with the title on the court docket in Adelaide. Her run to the semi-finals in Melbourne included wins over two Australian Open qualifiers, Danielle Collins and Elina Rybakina.

Keys’ earlier semi-final losses in Melbourne got here in opposition to eventual champions Serena Williams in 2015 and Ash Barty in 2022.

“I believe I am enjoying smarter for certain … possibly a little bit extra fearlessly,” Keys stated.

Svitolina, a three-time Slam semifinalist, was in management in the course of the first set. However Keys has made tactical adjustments, together with on the lookout for different alternatives to achieve the online. He gained 23 of 26 factors when he went ahead and ended up with 49 winners, 23 from his sturdy entrance facet.

The one issue Keys had was maintaining along with his comeback video games. However he lastly transformed his seventh break level to guide 4-2 within the second set.

“Iga is troublesome to beat, as a result of he has a number of spin, naturally, on either side. You’re a nice host. He is an efficient returner. “He is transferring extremely nicely,” Keys stated trying forward Thursday. “The principle factor that makes him very troublesome to hit, is that he strikes very nicely, should you miss your spot a little bit, you might have sufficient time to recuperate, and the purpose returns to impartial.”