American Madison Keys stunned world No. 2 Iga Świątek in an all-time Australian Open classic, coming from a set down to win 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(8) and set up a final showdown against Aryna Sabalenka.

By Shrivathsa Sridhar MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys made rocky starts on Thursday but eventually secured contrasting victories to set up a heavy metal Australian Open final showdown that will pit two of the game's big hitters against each other.

Watch as Madison Keys beats Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open, setting up a final against two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Madison Keys has charged into the Australian Open final and will meet two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s championship.

Ben Shelton and Madison Keys are the last two Americans standing at the 2025 Australian Open. Shelton downed unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego in

Keys saved a match point before winning in a final set tie-break while Sabalenka saw off close friend Paula Badosa.

Madison Keys said the personal work she had put in to develop a bolder approach to her game paid dividends on Thursday, after the American 19th seed saved a match point to stun Iga Swiatek and set up an Australian Open final against Aryna Sabalenka.

Keys, the No. 19 seed and a two-time semifinalist at Melbourne Park, had won the first set. But Rybakina, who like Keys is a precise winner machine when she is playing the tennis she wants to play, had taken the second by seizing the initiative and playing on her front foot. Halfway to the finish, Keys had become a passive counterpuncher.

Her opponent, Keys, also last reached the semi-finals in 2022 but was beaten by Ashleigh Barty who went on to win the tournament. Keys’s previous two outing saw her battle past Elena Rybakina in the fourth round then Elina Svitolina in the quarters. The American has had a tougher run but is a wiley competitior and should give Swiatek some trouble.

American tennis player Madison Keys seeks a fourth straight win over a seeded opponent at the Australian Open, when she takes on No. 2 Iga Swiatek in Thursday’s semifinal round.

Madison Keys has saved a match point and upset No. 2 Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) in a high-intensity, high-quality Australian Open semifinal to reach a Grand Slam title match for the second time