Madison Keys defeated Iga Swiatek in a thrilling three-set semifinal of the 2025 Australian Open. After the match, the American player's coach and husband, Bjorn Fratangelo, shared a two-word reaction celebrating the victory.
In one of the tournament's best matches, which spanned two hours and 36 minutes, Keys won against the second seed in the third set tiebreaker after saving a match point on her opponent's serve.
The 19th seed lost the first set 5-7 in a close contest. However, she recovered and dominantly won the second set 6-1. The third set continued on serve, with both players saving multiple break points. However, the Pole broke in the 11th game, and with 6-5 ahead, she served for the match.
From that improbable situation, Keys saved a match point, broke back, and played an exceptional tiebreak, winning 10-8 and reaching her second Major final.
After the contest, Bjorn Fratangelo posted a two-word message on his Instagram story, celebrating the team that worked behind the scenes to help Keys succeed at the highest possible level.
"Best Team," Fratangelo posted on Instagram.
Keys won the Adelaide International before the Australian Open. Therefore she will be going in Saturday's final (January 25) on an 11-match winning streak against top seed Aryna Sabalenka.
"I think what's impressive is her mentality" - Madison Keys on Aryna Sabalenka ahead of the Australian Open final
After her semifinal performance, Madison Keys was asked about the upcoming match-up against Aryna Sabelenka. She claimed that the Belarusian was not only about raw power but also about mental resilience. The American player lauded Sabalenka's approach to playing aggressive tennis events in pressure situations.
"What’s really impressive is her mentality. Her ability to always go for it, no matter what the score is, is impressive,..She plays such fearless tennis. She has the ability to play so well that way. It’s unique," said Keys in her press-conference (via sportstar.thehindu.com)
Keys, who played with a bold and fearless approach, stressed that she did not want to have any regrets about the way she played in the semifinal.
“I didn’t want to be in the same situation where I looked back and thought ‘Man, I should have gone for it...I didn’t want to have any regrets for not really laying it all out there,” added Keys.
Keys and Sabalenka have played on the Grand Slam stage before, at the 2023 US Open. The American lost that semifinal match despite winning the first set 6-0 and having a strong lead in the second. Overall the head-to-head is 4-1 in favor of the World No.1.