Madison Keys produced one of the best performances of her career to defeat world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and reach her second Grand Slam final.
Since turning professional at just 14 years old and becoming one of the youngest players to win a WTA-level match, Keys is considered to have the talent to win a major title.
That pressure has at times seemed like a heavy burden in an excellent career that has never touched greatness. But after saving a match point to beat Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 7-6, she has another chance to become Grand Slam champion, in Saturday's final against Aryna Sabalenka, who beat her friend Paula Badosa in the previous semi-final. end.
Keys' last grand final was at the US Open in 2017, when she never performed against fellow American Sloane Stephens.
But the 29-year-old spoke after her quarter-final victory about how she has stopped seeing a Grand Slam title as the holy grail without which she cannot be satisfied.
“I'm starting to appreciate my career for what it's been, and you don't have to have a Grand Slam to be able to look at it and say: I've done a really good job,” he said.
“While that's obviously still the goal, there have been periods in my career where I felt like if I didn't win one then I hadn't done enough, I wasn't living up to my potential.”
“It took a lot of the fun out of the game and there were times when it felt crippling.”
Keys was the polar opposite of being paralyzed here. She was loose, relaxed and powerful. She gave everything she had to Swiatek and held her nerve in vital moments, most surprisingly when she held from 0-40 down to 4-4 in the deciding set.
It was a fast-paced match, the best of the women's tournament so far, and culminated in a sensational third set.
It was clear from the first point of the match that this would be a very different challenge to any Swiatek has faced this week. Keys launched a succession of huge forehands, ending with a resounding winner.
This is how Keys plays; the way she has always played since she turned professional at age 14 and became one of the youngest players to win a WTA level match. He has struggled to harness his power and at times has lacked the mental toughness to close out the biggest, closest matches.
But on her day Keys can beat anyone and today was her day.
Swiatek is absolutely dominant on clay, but on faster surfaces he can be rushed, especially on the forehand side, where he has a relatively long recovery. In this Australian Open, where until now she had annihilated all participants, Swiatek adapted by becoming even more intense and aggressive than usual; rushing her opponents before they can rush her.
She then went blow for blow against Keys and the result was a frenetic start to the match, with seven breaks of serve in the first set. It all looked very messy, but it was a smart performance by Swiatek. She was brave enough to take the risky forehand down the line to access Keys' backhand and break the rhythm of the crosscourt punches.
With Swiatek leading 3-2, the roof closed due to a few drops of rain and, in hindsight, that could have been crucial. For a player with as low a margin as Keys, playing in sanitized indoor conditions was a definite advantage.
Still, he never felt like he had matters under control; such a thing is almost impossible against Keys. At 5-2 up, Swiatek had a set point on Keys' serve, but the Floridian got going and won seven points in a row, returning serve.
When Keys served to stay in the set, Swiatek played a couple of quality points and hit a big punch to secure the break.
However, that mini comeback from 5-2 down had put Keys in the match, and she flew at Swiatek in the second set.
Swiatek has played with impressive intensity this fortnight, taking minimal time between points. As she advanced to the semifinals, that approach seemed to suffocate her opponents, but as Keys progressed game after game, that intensity began to feel like tension; that rushing seemed to rush. He was chatting and glowering at his new coach Wim Fissette and his shoulders were hunched.
The second set disappeared in less than half an hour.
Keys had been swinging freely but now, just one set away from the final, she had something to lose: how would she cope mentally, against a warrior like Swiatek?
She started the deciding set with a big ace and a good hold, and the match turned into a high-level contest in which both women played well.
Serving at 3-4, Swiatek missed a high shot to give Keys two break points. On the second of those, Keys produced a colossal return and Swiatek brought a half-volley back into play and somehow survived to hold on.
Then came the game of the match as these two went toe-to-toe in a series of brutal exchanges, Keys finally holding from 0-40 down.
Swiatek arrived again at 5-5 and Keys double faulted to go 0-40 down again. There were two forehand winners, but then a very reckless drop shot that Swiatek missed off the line.
After two hours and 15 minutes, the second place finisher ended the match. Keys continued to move on the return and at the break point Swiatek double-faulted. As was entirely appropriate, the match would be decided by a tiebreaker, first at 10.
Inevitably we reached 7-7 and Swiatek produced a brilliant full-length forehand volley, the shot of the match. Keys responded with an ace. 8-8. Another great service. Match point Keys and Swiatek hit a long forehand.
What a match.