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We have been one level away from seeing No. 1 vs. No. 2 within the Australian Open ultimate.
Madison Keys had different concepts.
Keys saved one match level and upset second-ranked Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(10-8) in a semifinal thriller on Thursday evening. The American will now play in her second Grand Slam championship match and first at Melbourne Park (beforehand completed runner-up on the 2018 U.S. Open).
Standing in Keys’ means of her first main title on Saturday evening is high seed Aryna Sabalenka. This marks their sixth encounter, with Sabalenka main the head-to-head collection 4-1. Keys’ lone victory got here on the grass courts of Berlin in 2021, however she couldn’t have come a lot nearer within the 2023 U.S. Open semis. The present world No. 14 served for a straight-set victory and likewise led by a break within the third set solely to fall 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(10-5). They most not too long ago confronted one another this previous fall in Beijing, the place Sabalenka prevailed 6-4, 6-3.