Melbourne – American tennis player Madison Keys has reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time since 2015
The 26-year-old won an emphatic 6-3, 6-2 victory over Czech French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova in the quarter-finals in Melbourne. In the final round on Thursday, the unseeded Keys will face world number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia or compatriot Jessica Pegula.
Seven years ago, Keys reached the semi-finals of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season for the only time so far, but then lost to American tennis star Serena Williams. Her best Grand Slam result to date came in 2017, when she reached the final of the US Open against her compatriot Sloane Stephens.
Not enough resistance
Krejcikova had stormed to the 2021 French Open title out of nowhere, triumphing in singles and doubles in Paris. In the first round in Melbourne, the 26-year-old had dispatched Andrea Petkovic from Darmstadt.
But in the quarter-finals she could not provide enough resistance: The world number four Krejcikova looked exhausted in temperatures of around 30 degrees. At 2:5 in the first set, she had her blood pressure checked. Keys, ranked 51st in the world, underlined her serving strength with eleven aces and impressed with her powerful game.
All German participants in the singles have already been eliminated. The women’s trio of Petkovic, Angelique Kerber and Tatjana Maria were eliminated in the first round. The greatest German hope Alexander Zverev missed the decisive rounds with a round of 16 defeat.