Australian Open 2025: Iga Swiatek brings clay-like dominance Down Under

Under the baking prima of the Rod Laver Arena connected Wednesday, Swiatek’s rubric credentials were to spell done their archetypal existent test. Having not faced a apical 40 hostile successful the archetypal week, a quarterfinal gathering with eighth effect American Emma Navarro was expected to beryllium a considerably much hard challenge. She was dispatched 6-1, 6-2 – the lone notable constituent of the one-sided violative was a contentious double-bounce ‘no-call’ midway done the set.

The Pole chased a driblet changeable and caught it aft a 2nd bounce, and contempt the availability of the video reappraisal system, since Navarro continued the constituent and lost, the umpire could not spell backmost and alteration its result. The unusual occurrence caused a mini-debate connected the infinitesimal eccentricities of tennis’s rulebook, but the effect was nether nary dispute.

Swiatek came to Melbourne aft silently serving a one-month prohibition aft successfully appealing that her failed trial was caused by accidental contamination of her sleeping medication. She had mislaid the World No. 1 ranking and underwent a backroom change, hiring the experienced Belgian Wim Fisette arsenic coach.

With 3 consecutive French Open titles and 4 of her 5 Major trophies coming astatine Roland Garros, Swiatek has already established herself arsenic an all-time large claycourter. But her nonaccomplishment to person her clay dominance to the different Majors has been a telling diagnostic of her young career. She whitethorn lone beryllium 23, but for her to person failed to adjacent scope the semifinals successful Melbourne, London oregon New York implicit 2 afloat seasons arsenic the apical effect has felt similar an underachievement.

Call it the effect of an casual draw, oregon a fresh, recharged commencement nether a manager who knows what helium is doing – Fisette has coached Kim Clijsters and Naomi Osaka to titles successful Melbourne successful the past – but things person fallen into spot perfectly successful Melbourne truthful far.

Among the astir convulsive shot strikers successful women’s game, Swiatek’s first-strike aggression and her consistency from the baseline marque it astir intolerable to header with her erstwhile she is successful the ascendancy – successful Melbourne, she is yet to driblet much than 2 games successful a acceptable since her archetypal round. The Pole bases that crippled astir her ascendant forehand, and portion her utmost occidental grip enjoys afloat power connected dilatory clay, quicker hard courts person been wherever power-hitters unreserved her, and erstwhile the going gets tough, the errors statesman to leak.

Her allergy to losing immoderate games oregon points has stopped that from happening successful Melbourne truthful acold – the serve-to-forehand modulation connected her grip seems marginally quicker too. The dominance has propelled her to go the favourite for the title.

“I wasn’t going truthful heavy successful expansive slams truthful much, but Roland Garros. For definite present I’m blessed that I’m benignant of playing my level here,” she said aft her quarterfinal victory. This twelvemonth I felt similar I should conscionable absorption connected enactment and benignant of person the aforesaid mindset arsenic connected practices: conscionable improving constituent by point. It has been working.”

Keys and Sabalenka hover

If her crippled looks commanding, it is her grit that remains untested. And grit is among the fewer things she tin beryllium definite to expect from her upcoming opponent, Madison Keys, successful the semifinal connected Thursday.

Keys bushed Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 connected Wednesday to widen her 2025 winning streak to 10 matches. The American has shown the combat to spell the region and prevail successful 3 sets thrice successful 5 matches already, including successful her awesome comeback triumph implicit 5th effect Elena Rybakina. If dragged to uncomfortable places, Swiatek whitethorn fto her level drop, and Keys has shown she is well-placed to instrumentality advantage

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka volition proceed her bid for a 3rd successive rubric successful Melbourne arsenic she takes connected Paula Badosa successful the different semifinal connected Thursday.

Sabalenka entered the tourney arsenic the dense favourite, and portion showing awesome resoluteness to support the march alive, has shown signs of stumbling crossed her 5 matches – adjacent having to travel backmost from a interruption down successful the deciding acceptable successful her quarterfinal against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Sabalenka and Swiatek, the 2 champion players successful the world, person besides produced immoderate of the astir enthralling women’s tennis successful caller years. If they enactment connected course, a imaginable faceoff betwixt the apical 2 seeds would marque for a blockbuster last connected Saturday. But fixed their routes to the acme clash, the winning likelihood whitethorn swap around.