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Hearts melt over Champ’s consoling act | 00:21
The much-hyped final between the top two players in women’s tennis off, after Madison Keys upset world No.2 Iga Swiatek in the Australian Open semi-finals and ensured Aryna Sabalenka would keep the No.1 ranking.
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Coming into the semi-final having not been broken since the opening round, Swiatek’s serve let her down badly, with costly and constant breaks on route to a 5-7 6-1 7-6(8) defeat.
It means the long-time world No.1 will not regain her ranking after the season’s first grand slam, and she has still never made the final at Melbourne Park.
Instead it was Keys, twice a semi-finalist in Melbourne, who came all the way back from a sudden collapse which cost her the first set, advancing to face two-time defending champion Sabalenka.
Keys faced four break points at 4-4 in the final set, then two more before being broken at 5-5, but saved a match point and broke back to force the match tiebreak.
In it, from 5-7 down she won five of the last six points, playing at an incredible level in the last two sets that could be enough to challenge in the decider.
Earlier the Belarusian continued her love affair with Rod Laver Arena, where she has only ever lost two matches – to Serena Williams and Ash Barty – in a 6-4 6-2 thumping of best friend and 11th seed Paula Badosa.
Sabalenka was broken for the 16th time this fortnight when she trailed 2-0 in the opening set, and Badosa had multiple game points to lead 3-0, but the Belarusian instead recovered to win four straight games.
A quick double break in the second set put the result beyond doubt, and after being broken for 4-1, Badosa simply stood staring at her team for 30 to 40 seconds, clearly unable to find any answers.
While she held once more she could not survive the Sabalenka surge, the world No.1 becoming the first woman to make three straight Australian Open finals since Serena Williams across 2015-17, and the youngest since Martina Hingis in 2002.
“I hope she’s still my friend. I mean, I’m sure she’ll hate me for the next, I don’t know, hour or day or two. I can handle that. After that I think we’re back to being friends,” Sabalenka joked post-match.
She was then seen consoling Badosa in the player training area.
Aryna Sabalenka smashed Paula Badosa.Source: FOX SPORTS‘NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS WE’LL BE FRIENDS’: Hearts melt over champ’s kind act after Open semi-final
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Swiatek had not been broken since the opening round, losing just 14 games on route to the semis, but dropped the opening game of the match on serve.
It was the first of four breaks to begin the match before Swiatek finally broke the streak, and then some bad Keys errors gave the Pole the 4-2 lead.
Keys saved a set point at 5-2 and in the ensuing game got a look at the second serve at 0-40, but sent two returns into the net showing her nerves. Yet Swiatek erred in the 30-40 rally to hand the break back, and despite a massive blunder on a smash at the net Keys levelled things up at 5-5.
The world No.2 lifted in crunch time, as at 30-30 returning at 6-5, she forced an error and then drew one with a brilliant return to claim the set 7-5.
The second set was bizarre, with the bagel queen Swiatek nearly copping one herself, broken three times before winning one back – but then being broken for a fourth time as Keys took it 6-1.
The Pole’s serve threatened to let her down again but she was able to save a break point while holding for 2-2 in the third. Swiatek earned her own break chance in the ensuing game but Keys found the line with a winner.
They remained close until Swiatek served at 4-3, missing on an overhead at 15-30. Yet she recover mightily, saving one break point with an excellent serve out wide, Keys then finding the net with an unforced error to lose the other.
Swiatek went after the Keys second serve at 4-4 and it worked to perfection. A seven-point streak saw her up 0-40 but Keys re-found her serve and saved all three break points. An epic point, the longest rally of the match, gave Swiatek a fourth chance but it was saved with an unreturnable first serve and the American went on to hold.
Keys threatened to steal the match at 15-30 and 4-5 but Swiatek again got out of danger. Then it was her turn, again getting up 0-40 after Keys double-faulted. Two big winners saved a pair of break points, before a Keys drop shot proved costly as Swiatek sent one down the line for 6-5.
A wicked return helped Keys save one match point, then another gave her a break point, on which Swiatek double-faulted to send it to a match tiebreak.
Swiatek led 3-1 as the clock struck midnight in Melbourne, yet Keys proved the better player in Friday’s portion of the match, coming back from 5-7 down including two massive serves to earn her first match point. Swiatek hit one long to deliver Keys a spot in the final.
Meanwhile Aussie junior world No.1 Emerson Jones is two wins away from a 30-year first, after coming back to earn a spot in the Australian Open girls singles’ semi-finals.
Jones, who lost her grand slam debut 6-1 6-1 to Elena Rybakina last week, had to come back from a set down but claimed her quarter-final over Austria’s Lilli Tagger 4-6 6-2 6-2 on Thursday afternoon.
It books her a spot in the last four against No.4 seed Wakana Sonobe on Friday, after the Japanese beat Aussie wildcard Tahlia Kokkinis 6-2 6-4.
Jones was the runner-up in last year’s junior tournament and is trying to become the first Aussie girl to win her home junior slam since Siobhan Drake-Brockman in 1995.
In the boys singles, Lindsay Davenport’s son Jagger Leach is into the semi finals as the highest-ranked player left.
Emerson Jones of Australia plays a backhand against Lilli Tagger of Austria in their Junior Girls’ Singles Quarterfinal match during day 12 of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)Source: Getty ImagesEarlier, an Australian Open war of words has erupted over a handshake snub in the women’s doubles.
Ukrainian Lyudmyla Kicheno came in for criticism after refusing to shake hands following defeat to Kristina Mladenovic and Zang Shuai in straight sets on Monday.
Mladenovic was seen awkwardly holding out her hand only for Kichenok to wave it off and turn to thank the chair umpire.
Speaking after the match Mladenovic accused her opponents of inappropriate behaviour.
“Very slow start, but if you want my real honest opinion, I think the opponents woke me up because they were showing un-sportsmanship during my serve and I got really mad. I was like ‘OK, this is how the match is starting’,” Mladenovic said in her on-court interview.
“It woke me up and I was very composed with my partner and we fought together to find a solution. That was a trigger point for me and it woke me up.”
Kichenok, however, took to social media on Wednesday to explain her actions, making an accusation of her own.
“I would like to clarify the situation that has happened in my 3rd round AO match against Kristina Mladenovic,” she wrote.
“Publicly accused of bad sportsmanship. I would like to say my word.
“I received a very direct threat from my opponent during the match after unintentionally hitting her with a tennis ball.
“The response to my numerous apologies was ‘you watch out next time’.
“I don’t consider appropriate the act of respect like shake of hands in the end of the match with people who use verbal threats. Period.”
A war of words has erupted over a handshake snubSource: FOX SPORTSWOMEN’S SEMIS PREVIEW
The two brightest stars in women’s tennis have never met in a grand slam final – but they’re each a win away from setting up a blockbuster Australian Open decider.
Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and five-time slam-winner Iga Swiatek will play their respective semi-finals tonight (from 7:30pm AEDT), and could book a rare meeting at one of tennis’ biggest tournaments.
While the pair have played 12 matches all-time, with eight won by Swiatek, they have played just once at a slam – when the Pole won 3-6 6-1 6-4 in the 2022 US Open semi-finals.
They have traded the world No.1 ranking back and forth since Ash Barty’s 2022 retirement, with Sabalenka coming into Melbourne Park wearing the crown.
While the Belarusian has been utterly dominant on Australian soil over the last few years, Swiatek has never even made the final here – despite spending 125 weeks as world No.1, good for seventh all-time.
She faces in-form, powerful American Madison Keys in her semi-final, which will be played after Sabalenka’s battle with great mate and Spaniard Paula Badosa.
Former world No.2 Badosa has recovered from a career-threatening back injury and done remarkably well to get this far, but will need to find another level to stop the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open winner.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN DAY 12 ORDER OF PLAY (All times AEDT)
Women’s Singles Semi-Finals
Rod Laver Arena
Night session from 7:30pm
No.1 Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) vs No.11 Paula Badosa (ESP)
No.19 Madison Keys (USA) vs No.2 Iga Swiatek (POL)
