A furious Iga Swiatek defeated eighth seed Emma Navarro 6-1 6-2 in the midfield to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the second time. The world No. 2 player will face a challenge from the first A tough test for Madison Keys who came back from behind at the plate. Defeated Ukrainian Elena Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The last two women's singles quarter-finals at Melbourne Park played out in very different ways, with Poland's Swiatek reasserting her first Grand Slam title of the year and strong American Keys claiming her first Grand Slam title of the decade. Afterwards, he made a strong comeback and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time.
The first quarter-final was fraught with controversy, with Swiatek hitting a shot in the fifth game of the second set that looked dangerously close to a double bounce, which was a crushing blow for Navarro.
Swiatek, who was energized from the first point to the last, said her win at the sun-drenched Rod Laver Arena was "much tougher" than the scoreline suggested.
The Pole has a 4-1 record against his next opponent, Keys, but is expected to face a tough test against the American.
"Madison is a great player and has a lot of experience, so you never know. The match I lost, she almost killed me, so I think it could be tricky," she added.
After defeating Ukraine's Svitolina, Keys said she was looking forward to cheering for Navarro as her compatriot takes on the five-time Grand Slam champion.
But she needs to think about the scale of her task as she looks to secure her first Grand Slam final since the 2017 US Open.
The free-spirited Swiatek quickly rose to the challenge, dropping only 14 games in five games, posing a huge threat to defending champion Sabalenka's third Australian Open title.
Earlier, Keys used characteristic aggression to reach the semi-finals and notch his tenth consecutive win.
“I’m really proud of myself and excited to be in the semifinals again after ten years,” said Case, who reached the Final Four in 2015 and 2022.
“I had to start playing more aggressive and try to get to the net faster.
"I think I definitely played a little smarter. Probably a little less fearless."
The 29-year-old from Rock Island, Ill., has lost the last two of her three Grand Slam matches against Svitolina, most recently in the fourth round of the 2019 U.S. Open.
But she fought back and took a step closer to her second Grand Slam final.
"I've come to appreciate my career," Keys said after the game.
"I did really well and I really put everything aside," added Keys, who has only reached one previous Grand Slam final, the 2017 U.S. Open, when she lost to St. Ron Stephens.
The American 19th seed turns 30 next month but leads the WTA Tour with 12 wins this season and is unbeaten in 10 matches since winning the Adelaide title.
However, the American knew she was going to have a fight with Swiatek.
"I think Iga is going to be hard to beat because she has a lot of natural spin on both sides. She's a good waiter. She's a good returner. She moves really well," Keith said.
"So I think it's really hard to really get ahead at a certain point."
And then there are four…#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/hLi14mLcOv
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2025