A rampaging Iga Swiatek (23) stormed into her second Australian Open semi-final with a 6-1 6-2 centre-court demolition of eighth seed Emma Navarro (23) on Wednesday as the world number two underlined her title credentials once again at Melbourne Park.
The quarter-final passed with a note of controversy, though, with Swiatek scooping up a drop shot that looked perilously close to a double-bounce in the fifth game of the second set, which proved a hammer blow for Navarro.
A throbbing ball of energy from the first point to the last, Swiatek’s win at a sun-drenched Rod Laver Arena set up another American match-up with Madison Keys, who overhauled Elina Svitolina 3-6 6-3 6-4 in the earlier quarter-final.
“I think it was much more tougher than the score shows,” Swiatek said on court.
The Pole has a 4-1 record against her next opponent Keys but expected a tough test against the American.
“Madison is a great player and really experienced, so you never know. The match that I lost, she kind of killed me, so I think it can be tricky,” she added.
After beating Ukrainian Svitolina, Keys said she looked forward to cheering on Navarro as her compatriot took on the five-time Grand Slam champion.
However, she was left to ponder the scale of her task as she looks to secure her first Grand Slam final since the 2017 US Open.
Most eyes had been focused on the top half of the women’s draw, where favourite and double-defending champion Aryna Sabalenka booked a semi-final with Paula Badosa on Tuesday.
But it may be the free-swinging Swiatek in pole position for the title, having conceded only 14 games in her five matches.
Though the scoreline suggested otherwise, Navarro gave Swiatek a proper battle in the second set and had a breakpoint in the fifth game tinged by controversy.
Swiatek bolted forward to retrieve a drop shot that appeared to have bounced twice on certain angles of the replay before her racket scooped it up.
