During this year's Australian Open, Iga Świątek can “kill two birds with one stone” – win her first title in Melbourne and regain the lead in the WTA ranking. And so far he is on his way to achieving it. Evidence? She advanced to the semi-finals, giving up only 14 games to her rivals. Thus, it has already entered the history books, and it can be even better. Now she will face Madison Keys.
Experts sent a clear warning to Świątek. “He has an opportunity to hurt a Polish woman”
Both ladies know each other very well. They have already had the opportunity to compete five times and our compatriot came out on top four times. And there is no doubt that she will be the favorite to win this time too. “Let's go for more”, which translated into Polish means: “Let's go for more” – these are the words the 23-year-old wrote on camera after the match with Emma Navarro, making it clear that she did not intend to stop.
Will Keys stop her? Statistics show that there is little chance of this happening, but according to several experts, the American can make a mess for the Polish woman, and who knows, she may even win with her. This is the opinion expressed by Mats Wilander.
– This will be for her [Keys, przyp. red.] a big step forward, especially looking at the way Iga plays. He does not concede any match to his opponents. But Świątek has not yet played against such a great rival as Madison Keys – began the legendary tennis player, quoted by Eurosport. After a while, he gave a clear warning to our compatriot.
See also: The AO organizers are heating up the atmosphere. They immediately remembered Świątek's words.
– It is precisely such rivals that Iga has problems with, such as Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina. If Keys plays like this, he has the perfect opportunity to hurt Świątek on a fast and hard court. I think he will go into this match with great confidence. There is no pressure on her either, he emphasized.
Will a new racket help Keys beat Świątek? “She will be able to face her.”
But he's not the only one who thinks that Keys may be a big challenge for the Pole. – Keys has a new racket, (…) that gives her more topspin and control. If she manages to dictate exchanges against Iga, there is no doubt that she will be able to face her in terms of power – emphasized Jim Courier, adding, however, that the American's Achilles heel may be aggression. This is why she often makes mistakes.
We will find out which of the competitors will ultimately advance to the finals on Thursday after 11:00 a.m. Polish time. That's when the Polish-American clash should begin. Świątek has definitely more chances, although her rival cannot be written off, as the WTA ranking runner-up herself pointed out.
– She also likes to play intensely and quickly. He uses his strength especially on hard courts. He also has good defense. Besides, when you play in the semi-finals, it doesn't matter who is on the other side. She deserved to be there, so the challenge will be big anyway, said Świątek.