Madison Keys upset Iga Suatek and will face Aryna Sabalenka in the final

MELBOURNE, Australia — When Madison Keys finally defeated her 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) in a high-intensity, high-quality Australian Open semifinal, the upset of No. 2 Iga Suatek ended with a match saved. Along the way, the 29-year-old American crouched on the court and put a hand on his white hat.

She had a hard time believing it all. return Keys called it an “extra dramatic ending”. A win over five-time Grand Slam champion Suetek, who was on his most dominant run at Melbourne Park in a dozen years. And now for Keys’ chance to play in her second Grand Slam final, a long wait after finishing as runner-up at the 2017 US Open.

“I’m still trying to catch up with everything that’s going on,” said 19th-seeded Keys, who will face two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the trophy. “I felt like I was struggling to stay in it. … It was so up and down and so many big points.”

Just to be sure, Keys asked if Swatek was really one point from victory, admitting that he really had no idea. Yes, Madison came close to wrapping things up when Suetek was serving at 6-5, 40-30, but missed a backhand at the net, then collapsed due to a double-fault, sending the contest from first to 10, two wins in the tiebreaker.

“I felt like I blacked out there at some point,” Key said, “and was running there.”

Whatever he did, it worked. Keys claimed more games in the semifinals than the 14 total it dropped in its previous five matches over the past two weeks.

“It was a matter of one or two balls,” said Suatek, who lost in the Australian Open semi-finals two years ago. “Madison was brave.”

Sabalenka beat good friend Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2. Sabalenka, 26, from Belarus, could become the first woman since 1999 to complete the triplet.

“If he plays like this,” said 11th-seeded Badosa, “I mean, we can already give him the trophy.”

Keys can say something about that.

Still, Sabalenka won her first major championship at Melbourne Park in 2023 and has since added two more — a year ago in Australia and last September at the US Open.

The last woman to reach three consecutive finals at the first Grand Slam tournament of the year was Serena Williams, who won two from 2015-17. Martina Hingis is the most recent woman to win three consecutive titles in Melbourne, doing so from 1997-99.

“I have a headache. I’m very proud of myself,” said Sabalenka, whose 4-1 head-to-head record against Keys includes a semifinal win at the 2023 US Open.

Swatek had not lost a service game since the first round, but was broken three times by Keys in the first set and eight times in all.

That included each of Swiatek’s first two serves, making it clear from the get-go that this was not going to be his usual day. And while Suetek took out the opening set, she was overwhelmed in the second, trailing 5-0 before getting a game.

It was his very best big-hitting key. She turned 30 in February and, at the suggestion of her coach, former player Bjorn Fratangelo — who also happens to be her husband — decided to try a new racket this season, in an effort to help her build easy power as well as relieve it. Some pressure on his right shoulder.

It certainly paid immediate dividends. Keys is now on an 11-match winning streak, including a title win at a tuneup event in Adelaide.

He was good enough to get through this one, which was as tight as could be down the stretch.

“At the end, I think we were both struggling with some nerves. … It just comes down to who can get that final point and who can be a little bit better than the other,” Key said. “And I’m glad it was me.”

Sabalenka trailed 2-0, 40-love early but quickly pulled things out, especially once Rod Laver Arena’s retractable roof was closed due to a drizzle in the first set. She straightened her stroke and defeated Badosa, who eliminated No. 3 Coco Gough to reach her first major semifinal.

“He started getting very, very aggressive,” said Badosa, who considered retirement last year while dealing with a stress fracture in his back. “Everything was working.”

Sabalenka and Badosa did their best to avoid eye contact for most of the evening, stepping up to the net for a coin toss or crossing paths during transitions.

When their match is over, they meet for a long hug.

During Sabalenka’s on-court interview, he joked about taking Badosa — who was then sitting in a hallway, his head bowed — on a shopping spree to make things for him, with the Spaniard paying for what he wanted.

Badosa noted what Sabalenka said: “It’s going to be something really expensive.”