Madison Keys beat Iga Swiatek in a three-set thriller to book her place in the final of the Australian Open.
128 women entered and now just two remain, as the Australian Open final is set, after an entertaining day of semi-final action.
Aryna Sabalenka took down Paula Badosa in the first semi-final, recovering from an early stumble to win in straight sets.
The Belarussian will contest her third consecutive Australian Open final, having won the title in 2023, and 2024.
America’s Keys will be her opponent this time around, after she battled through in a third-set tiebreaker to secure her spot in a second-career Major final.
Having dropped the first set to Swiatek, the 29-year-old fought back to win a true classic on Rod Laver Arena.
After the match, one tennis legend gave his thoughts on a contest that truly showed what the WTA Tour has to offer.
Andy Roddick describes Madison Key’s win over Iga Swiatek as ‘Match of the Year’
Speaking on his Quick Served podcast, former world number one Andy Roddick, gave his thoughts on Keys’ win over Swiatek.
“This Madison Keys, [Iga] Swiatek match, the match of the year might have happened in January,” he said.
“It was so good, it was so athletic, it was such a chess match.
“If it doesn’t end up being match of the year, it’s going to end up being one of the top three matches of the year.”
Roddick went on to explain what Keys did that impressed him during the match.
“Madison’s natural shot is a cross to the forehand, or she pulls it, she’s good at both, she can hit the forehand,” he said.
“Her forehand, that swing, and how fluid it is through the zone, it makes me jealous.
“She creates such power, without looking strange like she’s trying to create power, it’s like this sweeping motion.”
Roddick was more than happy to see his fellow American reach her second Grand Slam final.
“I am really overjoyed for Madison Keys,” he said.
“She’s a great person, you could see the active mental gymnastics that she was going through, stuck to it, and executed.
“Sounds easy enough, but it’s not, two hours plus of mental, fatigue, physical torture.”
What was the ‘Match of the Year’ in 2024?
Roddick seems to think that Keys’ win over Swiatek could be in with a shout of Match of the Year come the end of 2025, but who won the award last time out?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Swiatek who picked up the fan voted Match of the Year in 2024, for her battle with Sabalenka in the Madrid final.
Unlike in Melbourne, Swiatek came out on top in a deciding set tiebreaker in Madrid, beating her Belarussian opponent, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7).
The match was a classic, with both players at their brilliant best in the Spanish capital.
They had faced off for the title one year earlier, with Sabalenka scoring the win on that occasion, winning in straight sets.
Swiatek and Sabalenka’s battles in Madrid were their only at Masters 1000 level, until they took to the court in Rome in 2024.
Swiatek beat Sabalenka in straight sets to win her second Masters 1000 title on clay of the year, against her biggest rival.
They looked destined to face off once more in a big final at this year’s Australian Open, with the Pole missing a match point that would’ve set up a dream clash on Rod Laver Arena.
Instead it will be Keys and Sabalenka that face off for the title, when they play on Saturday, January 25.
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