Thrill and excitement spread after the match. After a grueling first set loss, Madison Keys bounced back with a bang. In the next set, he ignored his opponent. The fight in the last set was intense. In the end, where is the victory? He reached the final of the Australian Open by defeating five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Shiaotek. Waiting for him here is the two-time winner Arina Sabalenka.
19th-seeded Keys won 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) against second-seeded Shiaotek in the second semi-final in Melbourne on Thursday.
The 29-year-old American reached the final of the Grand Slam for the first time in seven and a half years and for the second time in his career.
In 2017, he lost in the US Open final against compatriot Sloan Stevens. After that, he had to leave the semi-finals of the Grand Slam four times.
Keys missed the Australian Open last year due to a shoulder injury. This time he reached here for the first time on the stage of the title fight.
And last three years’ French Open champion Shiaotek’s Australian Open final has increased the expectation. With this, the 23-year-old Polish star left the semi-finals in Melbourne for the second time.
The final will be next Saturday. A chance to win the first Grand Slam in front of Kis. Sabalenka is on course to become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999 and the seventh woman overall to win three consecutive Australian Open titles. The top ranked player defeated Paulo Badosa 6-4, 6-2 in the first semi-final.
Keys and Sabalanka have met five times so far. Where Sabalanka leads by 4-1. He has won in the last three appearances.
The last time the two met at a Grand Slam was in the semi-finals of the US Open in 2023. Sabalanka won in three sets.