MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — LOOKAHEAD TO THURSDAY
It's women's semifinal day at Melbourne Park with two Americans featured. Madison Keys takes on top-ranked Ash Barty and Danielle Collins will play 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek. The winners will meet in a Saturday night championship match.
Barty is attempting to become the first Australian woman in 44 years to win the Australian singles title. The reigning Wimbledon and 2019 French Open champion holds a 2-1 career edge over Keys, including a win the last time they played in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in '19, but she's wary of the American's array of shots. "Maddie is an exceptional athlete, she has a great serve, great first-strike off the return and off her first ball after her serve," Barty said. "A lot of the time it's about trying to put her in an uncomfortable position."
Keys enters the semifinals on a 10-match winning streak and 11 overall this year, matching her entire win total from 2021. Keys won the Adelaide International tournament earlier this month and has another five wins so far at Melbourne Park. Keys, who reached her first Australian Open semifinal as a teenager in 2015, said: "I'm a little bit more prepared this time around than I was all those years ago."
Collins has tied her best previous performance at Melbourne Park — she reached the semifinals in 2019, her previous best Grand Slam result.
