Tennis player Swiatek overcomes a 0-6 deficit to defeat Keys, advancing to the Madrid semifinals against Gauff.
Madrid Meltdown: Swiatek Recovers to Advance at Madrid Open
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Iga Swiatek's bid to defend her Madrid Open title took an unusual turn as she faced a mountainous hurdle against Madison Keys, ultimately claiming victory in a wild 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback. Swiatek, the second-ranked player, will battle Coco Gauff in the semifinals following Gauff's win against teenager Mirra Andreeva.
In one of the craziest matches Swiatek has ever experienced, Keys dominated the first set, overpowering Swiatek and forcing her to defend throughout. However, Swiatek managed to shift the momentum, crediting Keys' initial brilliance for pushing her to play more aggressively.
"It was a strange match, to say the least," Swiatek admitted. "Maddie [Keys] was on fire at the start, and I couldn't seem to pull the trigger. But the moment I started making her work a bit more, the match suddenly felt winnable."
Swiatek, gracious in defeat at the start, had only one positive takeaway: "Losing the first set fast, isn't always a bad thing."
The pair's last encounter occurred back at the 2024 Australian Open quarterfinals, in which Madison Keys emerged triumphant. Swiatek hopes to level the playing field come final time in Madrid.
The Pole is seeking her third consecutive Madrid final, having defeated Aryna Sabalenka last year following a loss in 2023. Sabalenka also advanced to the semis, narrowly edging out Marta Kostyuk in two tiebreakers. Sabalenka will face Elina Svitolina for a place in the final, with the latter having dispatched Moyuka Uchijima in straightforward fashion.
Gauff Dominates Andreeva
Fresh off her victory against the seventh-ranked Andreeva, who recently turned 18, Coco Gauff moves on to the semifinals. Since the inception of the WTA 1000 tier, only the 2009 Indian Wells quarterfinal between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Agnieszka Radwanska had a younger combined age.
Gauff fought back from a break down at 5-4 in the first set, fending off two set points. "Battling from behind kept me honest and I was able to dictate the majority of the rallies, so I'm happy with that," she reflected. "Overall, I'm proud with how I played."
Both Gauff and Andreeva managed to wrap up their matches just before Monday's massive blackout that hit Spain and Portugal, causing over 20 matches at the Caja Magica complex to be postponed.
Arnaldi Continues to Shine
Matteo Arnaldi, who stunned Novak Djokovic in the previous round, carried his momentum into a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Frances Tiafoe, advancing to the quarterfinals of an ATP 1000 tournament for the second time. Arnaldi's recent streak of defeating top 20 opponents is the first of its kind in his career.
The Italian will square off against Jack Draper, who eased past Tommy Paul in the previous round. Draper, currently ranked sixth in the world, clinched his first ATP 1000 title at the Indian Wells tournament this year. 🎾\Our website tennis stats: https://our website/hub/tennis
In the next phase of the Madrid Open, Coco Gauff will engage in a semifinal match against Iga Swiatek. This follows Gauff's impressive victory against Mirra Andreeva, a battle that recorded the youngest combined age in the history of WTA 1000 events. Meanwhile, in the world of sports media, tennis fans are eager to witness the match between Swiatek and Gauff, as both players strive for victory.
