Madison Keys forgets she saved a match point against Iga Swiatek in her astonishing Australian Open semifinal win

Iga Swiatek had Madison Keys on the brink as she had match point at 6-5 in the final set of the Australian Open semifinal.

Madison Keys forgets she saved a match point against Iga Swiatek in her astonishing Australian Open semifinal win

Madison Keys (via X)

Madison Keys described feeling like she “blacked out” during the tense final moments of her thrilling match against Iga Swiatek. She explained that the pressure and excitement of the match made it difficult to remember specific details.

She admitted that she didn’t even realize Swiatek had a match point against her during Swiatek’s last service game. This shows how focused Keys was on simply playing each point as it came, rather than dwelling on the score.

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Did she have a match point? I feel like I blacked out. At one point I was just out there running around.

Madison Keys said in her post-match interview

After the match, Keys even asked the interviewer, Casey Dellacqua, if Swiatek had actually had a match point. Dellacqua confirmed that she did, highlighting how unaware Keys was of the critical moment at the time.

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The final set was decided by a 10-point super tie-break, which was incredibly close and tense. Neither player could get a clear advantage until Keys finally won just after midnight in Melbourne, marking a dramatic end to a memorable match.

Madison Keys surges into her first Australian Open final

19th seed Madison Keys played an amazing match against the 2nd seed, Iga Swiatek, in the Australian Open semifinals. The American was down a match point but came back to win 5-7, 6-1, 7-6[8]. This win sends Keys to her second Grand Slam final, her first since the 2017 US Open. Before this match, Swiatek had won four of their five matches, all without dropping a set.

Madison Keys
Madison Keys (via X)

The Polish player was close to winning, serving for the match at 6-5 in the final set. However, she missed a crucial backhand on match point. In the tie-break, Keys was behind for much of it and was down 7-5. But she played her best serves at the end, winning the last three points to win the match after two and a half hours.

This victory makes it 11 wins in a row for Keys. She recently won a tournament in Adelaide. This is the longest winning streak of her career, beating her previous record of 10 wins in 2022. In that year, she also won Adelaide and reached the Australian Open semifinals.

In the final, Keys will play against the top seed and two-time defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian has won four of their five matches, including all their matches on hard courts and at Grand Slams. Keys only win against Sabalenka was on grass in 2021. This loss is Swiatek’s second straight defeat in the Australian Open semifinals. In 2022, she also lost at this stage to another American player, Danielle Collins.