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Ashleigh Barty may have to go through two American players to capture her third overall Grand Slam title.
Barty is viewed as the overwhelming favorite to win the Australian Open women’s singles draw because of how dominant she looked in the first five rounds.
The top player in the world faces Madison Keys, who has been fantastic in her own right, in the semifinals set to take place on Thursday.
Keys and Danielle Collins represent the United States in the final four of a tournament in which some of the top Americans were knocked out early.
Keys knocked out three of the top 11 women in the draw and produced four straight-set wins to set up her semifinal showdown with Barty.
Collins’ win on Wednesday in Melbourne set up a clash against Iga Swiatek. Those two players face a tougher turnaround since they will play in consecutive days.
Australian Open Women’s Semifinal Schedule
Date: Thursday, January 26
Start Time: 3:30 a.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN+ or ESPN app
Previews
No. 1 Ashleigh Barty vs. Madison Keys
Ashleigh Barty holds the significant edge on paper because of her ranking and play down under over the last week-and-a-half.
However, Madison Keys should pose a challenge to the No. 1 seed because of her recent play and history against the Australian.
Keys’ only victory over Barty occurred at the Grand Slam level at the 2017 French Open and she played a tight second set against her semifinal foe at Roland Garros in 2019.
Keys also has a lengthy bit of experience to bank on for the match to be played in front of a pro-Barty crowd inside Rod Laver Arena.
The 26-year-old American is appearing in her fifth Grand Slam semifinal. She reached the final once at the 2017 U.S. Open, where she lost to Sloane Stephens.
Keys will not be overwhelmed by the moment, like a typical unseeded player may be, and that could play to her advantage in the difficult matchup with Barty.
Barty should be favored to win the match. She has not dropped a set in the tournament and she lost 17 games in 10 sets played. She dominated the quarterfinal win over No. 21 seed Jessica Pegula by losing just two games.
Barty is on a mission to win her home major to add her Grand Slam haul to three. If she wins the tournament, the U.S. Open would be the only Grand Slam Barty has not won.
Keys will be lucky to force Barty into a third set based off the No. 1 seed’s form, but if she does, the pressure may seep in and there could be potential to spring an upset.
No. 7 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 27 Danielle Collins
Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins will both appear in their second Grand Slam semifinal.
Swiatek’s last run to this stage of a marquee tournament resulted in her lone major title at the 2020 French Open.
Collins last played in the final four three years ago in Melbourne. The 27th-seeded American lost in straight sets to Petra Kvitova in that match.
The pair of seeded players have one career meeting, but not much can be taken from that since Collins retired in the second set in Brisbane last year.
Collins had the cleaner quarterfinal victory of the two players. She beat Alize Cornet in straight sets. That could give her an edge with the quick turnaround because Swiatek spent three hours on the court versus Kaia Kanepi.
Swiatek lost the first set of her quarterfinal, battled through a second-set tiebreak and then took over in the third set.
The No. 7 seed carries some momentum into Thursday from her closing ability against Kanepi, but the fatigue of playing in the Australian sun could catch up to her.
Swiatek carries the edge in Grand Slam experience from her French Open triumph, but that may not matter if she can’t recover well from Wednesday’s three-hour battle.
If Swiatek comes out strong, she could handle Collins and land in the final, but a slow start could open the door for the American to make her first major championship.
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