Swiatek charges into Australian Open semi-finals Today Sports News

Iga Swiatek, left, of Poland, is congratulated by Emma Navarro of the U.S. following their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

A rampaging Iga Swiatek stormed into her second Australian Open semi-final with a 6-1 6-2 centre-court demolition of eighth seed Emma Navarro on Wednesday as the world number two underlined her title credentials once again at Melbourne Park.

Also Read | Australian Open: Madison Keys reaches semifinals with a win over Elina Svitolina

The quarter-final passed with a note of controversy, though, with Swiatek scooping up a drop shot that looked perilously close to a double-bounce in the fifth game of the second set, which proved a hammer blow for Navarro.

A throbbing ball of energy from the first point to the last, Swiatek’s win at a sundrenched Rod Laver Arena set up another American match-up with Madison Keys, who overhauled Elina Svitolina 3-6 6-3 6-4 in the earlier quarter-final.

“I think it was much more tougher than the score shows,” Swiatek said on court.

The Pole has a 4-1 record against her next opponent Keys but expected a tough test against the American.

“Madison is a great player and really experienced, so you never know. The match that I lost, she kind of killed me, so I think it can be tricky,” she added.

After beating Ukrainian Svitolina, Keys had said she looked forward to cheering on Navarro as her compatriot took on the five-times Grand Slam champion.

But she was left to ponder the scale of her task as she looks to secure her first Grand Slam final since the 2017 U.S. Open.

Most eyes had been focused on the top half of the women’s draw, where favourite and double defending champion Aryna Sabalenka booked a semi-final with Paula Badosa on Tuesday.

But it may be the free-swinging Swiatek in pole position for the title, having conceded only 14 games in her five matches.

Though the scoreline suggested otherwise, Navarro gave Swiatek a proper battle in the second set and had a break point in the fifth game tinged by controversy.

Swiatek bolted forward to retrieve a drop shot that appeared to have bounced twice on certain angles of the replay before her racket scooped it up.

Play went on, though, with Swiatek winning both the point and the game with a passing shot, leaving Navarro to remonstrate fruitlessly with the chair umpire.

Navarro could not recover from the blow, losing the next three games to bow out.

While Swiatek squandered a first match point with a poor return into the net, she sealed it on the second when a desperate Navarro fired just wide of the line.