Australian Open: American Madison Keys shocks Iga Swiatek to reach final, will face reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka

At the 2015 Australian Open, 19-year-old American Madison Keys made her first Grand Slam semifinal. She had beaten Venus Williams to get there and would be denied an appearance in the final by eventual champion Serena Williams.

On Thursday, a decade later, 29-year-old Keys smashed her way into her first Aussie Open final, beating world no. 2 Iga Swiatek with a combination of power and ruthlessness that Swiatek was unable to defeat. Keys, seeded as no. 19 and playing the best tennis of her life, overcame every challenge Swiatek threw at her and emerged with a thrilling 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(8) victory in two hours and 35 minutes.

Swiatek had cruised through the tournament before facing Keys, dropping zero sets and dropping a total of 14 games through five matches. But Keys challenged Swiatek with her power, smashing seven aces and a stunning 36 winners and never letting Swiatek get into a rhythm. Keys took Swiatek to the limit in the first set, giving Swiatek her first real challenge of the entire tournament. When Swiatek won the set, it felt like she had finally gained control of the match.

Keys then absolutely dominated Swiatek in the second set. It’s rare to see Swiatek be nearly non-competitive in any set against any player, but this was one of those times. Keys was relentless, shutting Swiatek down at every opportunity, overwhelming her with the sheer speed with which she returned. She built a 5-0 lead over Swiatek in just 18 minutes and won the set in just 26 minutes.

After two fantastic sets, the third ending in a winner-takes-all tiebreak was perfection. Keys and Swiatek battled for every point, but with an early 5-3 lead, it looked like Swiatek would win with ease. However, keys would not disappear. She chased Swiatek and never let her get too far ahead until she finally leveled at 7-7. She smashed her seventh ace of the match to tie Swiatek at 8-8, then won her 10th and final point on a Swiatek unforced error.

After meeting Swiatek at the net, Keys crumpled to the ground and cried, then sobbed into her towel. Saturday’s final match is just the second Grand Slam final of her career and her first in eight years.

Keys has never won a major and will have a hard time getting past No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka, who dispatched Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 in 86 minutes to reach the final. Sabalenka, who is seeking her third Australian Open trophy in a row, also deals with power and, like Swiatek, has had a relatively easy path to the final. She has dropped just one set in the six matches she has played leading up to the final, beating 27, 14 and 11 seeds on her way. But if Keys can use her power smartly and play the kind of tennis she played on Thursday, she has a real chance of beating the reigning Queen of Melbourne Park.

The tennis landscape has changed a lot in the 10 years since Keys lost her maiden Grand Slam semi-final in Melbourne. But in some ways it hasn’t changed at all. There is always a strong enemy to defeat, whether it is Serena Williams or Sabalenka. But now, with a decade of tennis under her belt, we’ve seen that Keys has the ability to gather all her tools – both physical and mental – to challenge her opponent. In Saturday’s final, she controls her own destiny.