Madison Keys credits bold approach for unlocking Australian Open final door
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Madison Keys celebrating winning her Australian Open semi-final against Iga Swiatek at Melbourne Park on Jan 24.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MELBOURNE – Madison Keys said the work she had put in to develop a bolder approach to her game paid dividends on Jan 23, after the American 19th seed saved a match point to stun Iga Swiatek and progress to the Australian Open final against Aryna Sabalenka.
The 29-year-old clinched a famous 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) win over Swiatek, but was a point away from her third semi-final exit at Melbourne Park when the Polish second seed was serving at 6-5 in the deciding set.
Keys turned the match around from there and said her semi-final defeat by Sabalenka in the US Open in 2023
“I’ve been doing a lot of personal work with all of that. One of the big things, after I lost to Aryna at the US Open, I felt like I tried to play safe and I wasn’t playing how I wanted to in the big moments. That felt so bad,” Keys told reporters.
“I felt like if I can go out and do what I want to do and really just be uncomfortable at times and go for it and play the way I play my best tennis, and I lose, then I can walk away and say, ‘Okay, I did my best, she beat me, that’s fine’.
“I didn’t want to be in the same situation where I looked back and thought ‘Man, I should have gone for it’. I didn’t want to have any regrets for not really laying it all out there.”
Swiatek’s defeat meant holder Sabalenka, who is aiming for a three-peat, will leave the Australian Open as world No. 1 and Keys expects a tough test in her bid to seal a second win over the Belarusian in their sixth meeting on Jan 25.
“What’s really impressive is her mentality. Her ability to always go for it, no matter what the score is, is impressive,” 2017 US Open runner-up Keys said of the reigning New York champion.
“She plays such fearless tennis. She has the ability to play so well that way. It’s unique.
“Not only is that impressive on her side, but it puts a bit more pressure on opponents where you know you’re always going to have to try to win the point because she’s never going to just play passive and give you an easy point.”
The Belarusian, meanwhile, said she will leave “everything out there” to become the first woman this century to claim three consecutive Australian Open titles after overpowering her friend Paula Badosa in the earlier semi-final.
After a shaky start, the world No. 1 rolled over Badosa 6-4, 6-2 and will try to win the title for three years in a row for the first time since Swiss great Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
“It’s been a dream. I mean I couldn’t even dream about that, to be honest. At first, I was dreaming to win at least one Grand Slam. Now I have this opportunity, it’s incredible, and I’m going to go out and leave everything I have in the final,” Sabalenka said.
If the 26-year-old wins on Jan 25, she will join an elite group of players who have won three Australian Open titles in a row, including Margaret Court (1969-71), Evonne Goolagong (1974-76), Steffi Graf (1988-90), Monica Seles (1991-93) and Hingis.
“That’s crazy that I was able to put myself in the situation where I have the chance to put my name next to the legends. It’s going to mean a lot for me,” she said.
Badosa praised Sabalenka for producing the highest-quality tennis. The 27-year-old said: “Everything she was doing today, touching today, could become gold. If she plays like this, I mean we can already give her the trophy.”
Sabalenka said her friendship with Badosa will survive the on-court battles and promised to take the Spaniard on a shopping spree.
“I promise Paula, we go shopping and I pay for whatever... you want,” she said. REUTERS
