Madison Keys reveals hilarious curse of friend, Frances Tiafoe, on her Grand Slam performances ahead of Australian Open semifinals

Madison Keys, the three-time Australian Open semifinalist, just doesn't want to receive a text from compatriot Frances Tiafoe.

Madison Keys reveals hilarious curse of friend, Frances Tiafoe, on her Grand Slam performances ahead of Australian Open semifinals

Madison Keys, Frances Tiafoe (Images via X)

Madison Keys, following her three-set win over Elina Svitolina, has become a three-time Australian Open semifinalist. Now her greatest task before facing Iga Swiatek is to avoid receiving a text from friend Frances Tiafoe!

Keys has scheduled a sixth meeting against the Pole, who has made it to the last four at Melbourne Park for the second time. Tiafoe on the other hand, had a disappointing campaign as he was knocked out of the second round by Fabian Marozsan.

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It’s due to this 27-year-old American that Keys said she has suffered defeats in previous years when she made deep runs in the tournament.

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In the past, Frances would not say anything before the tournament and would text me when I reached the quarterfinals or semifinals: and I would lose in the next round. So we made a new rule. I saw him a few days ago and I said: ‘Don’t text me, I don’t want to hear from you, leave me alone and we’ll talk about it after the tournament’ (smiles).

Madison Keys said at the press conference

Keys is on a 10-match winning streak following her win at the Adelaide International. Her semifinal opponent, Swiatek, however, skipped the WTA events and represented Poland at the United Cup.

Madison Keys explains what makes Iga Swiatek a difficult opponent

Madison Keys, who reached the 2017 US Open final, is bidding to win her first Grand Slam title. After fending off Elina Svitolina, Keys talked about what makes Iga Swiatek a tough opponent.

Madison Keys, Iga Swiatek
Madison Keys, Iga Swiatek (Images via X)

She’s a good server. She’s a good returner. She moves incredibly well. I think the biggest thing that makes her so difficult to beat is because since she moves so well…if you miss your spot just slightly, she has enough time to recover, and then the point goes back to neutral.

Madison Keys said at the press conference

In the quarterfinals, Swiatek eased past Emma Navarro and bageled three of her opponents in her straight-set wins in the previous rounds. The 23-year-old, the most successful player among active players with five Majors, however, was defeated by Keys in the fourth round of the 2022 Cincinnati Open, in a condition similar to the Melbourne Slam.

A win will take Swiatek to her first Major final Down Under but Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, could deny her the title if she beats Paula Badosa in the semifinal to meet the World No.2 for the 13th time.