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Madison Keys stunned Iga Swiatek to set up an Australian Open final against two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
It had appeared the world’s top two players were on a collision course to meet in a grand slam final for the first time, and Sabalenka kept her end of the bargain by beating close friend Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2.
But Swiatek, who had dropped just 14 games en route to the last four, was unable to join her, losing out 5-7 6-1 7-6 (10/8) in a pulsating match against Keys, who reached her only previous grand slam final at the US Open back in 2017.
She was beaten by Sloane Stephens on that occasion, and she will be second favourite on Saturday, but, if the 29-year-old can maintain the form she has showed in a brilliant start to the year, a first major title is certainly not beyond her.
Keys saved a match point in the 12th game of the deciding set and let out a shriek of delight after Swiatek’s final forehand flew long.
“I’m still trying to catch up to everything that’s happening,” said a stunned Keys.
“That match, it’s just such high level and she played so well and I just felt like I was fighting to stay in it. To be able to be standing here and be in the finals is absolutely amazing and I’m so excited that I get to be here on Saturday.”
Keys, who first reached the semi-finals here a decade ago as a teenager, had only beaten Swiatek in one of their previous five meetings, but she was immediately on the front foot with a break of the Pole’s serve.
It was the first time Swiatek had been behind in any match this fortnight and, although she responded well to open up a 5-2 lead, back came Keys.
The American is the sort of power hitter that has troubled Swiatek on the faster surfaces, but Keys, a US Open finalist back in 2017, was also playing with control, keeping a lid on the unforced errors that have cost her in big matches.
Swiatek wriggled out of the first set but she narrowly avoided losing a first 6-0 set at a grand slam for six years in the second, and a nip-and-tuck third saw both women have their chances.
The second seed appeared to have made the decisive move when she broke serve to lead 6-5, but she could not take a match point in the next game and a double fault sent the contest to a deciding tie-break.
Swiatek led 7-5 but back came Keys again and two big serves took her to match point, which she seized.
Sabalenka and Badosa describe themselves as soulmates, and the Belarusian saw at close quarters the obstacles Badosa overcame to make it to her first grand slam semi-final, with a persistent back problem almost forcing her into retirement.
That had not stopped Sabalenka winning their last five matches, though, and the 26-year-old, who can become the first woman since Martina Hingis in the late 1990s to win three titles in a row here, threw everything she had at Badosa.
The only blip was a shaky start and, had the Spaniard capitalised on a 40-0 lead at 4-2, things may have played out differently.
But Sabalenka steadied, broke back and controlled the match thereafter, powering 32 winners past Badosa.
The pair shared a warm embrace at the net afterwards, and Sabalenka said: “We both want it badly, it’s our dream. No matter what happens on the court, we’re going to be friends after, we agreed on that.
“I hope we’re still friends. If she hates me for the next few hours or day, that’s OK. I promise Paula we’ll go shopping and I’ll pay for whatever she wants.”
Sabalenka quickly sought out her friend backstage to console her and, asked what the pair had said to each other, Badosa revealed with a rueful smile: “That it was really unfair for me that she played this level today. I was expecting, of course, a good level, but maybe not that much.
“But no, she came to say that she played three semi-finals before she won a title. She was very proud of my improvement lately, especially with all I’ve been through.
“So we were just joking around. If I have to lose against somebody, of course I want to lose against the world number one one and against Aryna, and I wish her the best.”
On how she might spend Sabalenka’s money, Badosa added: “It’s going to be something really expensive because now I think she doubled the prize money. So I think she won’t have a problem for that. I will think about it.”
