Madison Keys defeats Swiatek in instant classic to reach Australian Open final | Australian Open 2025

Deep into the final set of one of the most extraordinary matches of her career, Madison Keys’ violent, destructive hitting was still in full flow. From one set down, Keys had clawed her way back into the match by brutalizing every tennis ball in sight. Then she had shown her gritty resilience through a desperately tight third set. Every time Iga Swiatek tried to pull away, Keys somehow forced her way back in.

One of the lingering questions surrounding Keys’ career has been whether she possesses the killer instinct and nerve to maintain her superb shooting under pressure in the biggest matches of her career. The answer has often been negative, but here Keys offered a superb display of her toughness as she saved a match point before winning in an instant classic, defeating a tough Iga Swiatek to reach her first Australian Open final by 5- 7, 6 -1, 7-6 (8) win over no. the 2 seed.

With one of the biggest wins of her 16-year career, Keys will compete for the second grand slam final of her career against Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion and No. 1 seed. Keys’ only other grand slam final came at the 2017 US Open, when she lost to friend Sloane Stephens. After winning at the Adelaide Open the week before the Australian Open, Keys is now on an 11-match winning streak. Swiatek’s defeat means Sabalenka will hold on to her No.1 ranking after the tournament.

It was always clear that Keys could seriously challenge Swiatek. She is one of the best servers in the world and one of the greatest ball strikers the sport has ever seen. As she showed when she defeated Swiatek on the lightning-fast hard courts of Cincinnati in 2022, Keys perfectly fits the profile of the type of player who has historically been successful against Swiatek. She has the raw firepower to rush the Swiatek forehand and break her vulnerable second serve, while a supreme serving day could keep Swiatek’s return of serve at bay.

Having allowed his first five opponents just 14 games between them, the nerves Swiatek displayed in the opening matches reflected Keys’ quality. After a sluggish start, Swiatek’s defense and ability to turn points from defense to offense frustrated Keys as Swiatek established a 5-2 lead.

Although the pair had started outdoors in cool, windy evening conditions, a spot of light rain forced organizers to close the roof. Without the elements to battle, Keys began swinging with total confidence and freedom. However, after pulling Swiatek back to 5-5, Keys was punished for her poor service game at 5-6 as Swiatek smothered her second serve throughout.

Still, Keys continued to hit the ball spectacularly throughout the second set, stealing time from Swiatek with the sheer brutality of her shots from both grounds. As Keys continued to collect games, she even opened her service game at 4-0 with three straight aces. It didn’t take long before she closed in on an increasingly tense Swiatek.

With a grand slam final on the line and Keys continuing to laser winners from all parts of the court, Swiatek dug deep at the start of the third set as she held her serve and tried to pressure Keys’ service game. Keys responded brilliantly, clearing forehands and putting herself out of danger in service games throughout the third set before generating two break points at 4-3, 15-40. After missing both break points, Keys produced a service hold for the ages, recovering from 0-40 down to save four break points in the game for 5-4.

But from 4-5 down while serving to stay in the tournament, Swiatek held serve before a tired, errant service game from Keys earned the first break of the set. Swiatek confidently stepped up to the baseline to serve out the match and victory was in sight as she dragged to match point at 6-5. Instead, down on match point, Keys forced a backhand error from Swiatek with a brilliant return of serve to stay alive. After pulling into a final set tiebreak, Keys maintained her fearless aggression until the bitter end as she capped an incredible performance with an unforgettable victory.