Madison Keys reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open.
That was in 2015. A decade later, the 29-year-old is vying to get there again.
She’s just one step away, having reached the quarterfinals with a three-unit victory over Elena Rybakina that changed the momentum.
“It’s hard to believe it was 10 years ago that I made it to my first semi-final,” Keys said.
“I’m very happy to still be here and play good tennis all these years later.”
In 2015, a teenage Keys defeated Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, only to lose to Serena Williams in the semifinals.
“I don’t know if when I started I thought I’d be almost 30 and still playing at the level I’m playing, and arguably playing even better than I’ve ever played,” he said.
Tennis is often seen as a sport of teenage phenoms, and last week, defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka, 27, spoke about how many in the sport were considering retiring at 30.
Madison Keys, 29, says young players have many years ahead of them. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
“It’s something that I definitely don’t take for granted and I just try to move forward, and you know, show some of these young people that they have many, many, many years left in them.”
Rybakina, seeded sixth, won Wimbledon in 2021 and was runner-up at the Australian Open in 2023.
She was one of the favorites to reach the semifinals here until Keys defeated her 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
Keys, the 19th seed, came out firing to take the first set. But she had a wobble in the second set, where Rybakina was able to find her way back into the match.
Rybakina was hampered by a back injury in her third round and said that although she had recovered yesterday, she was feeling pain again after today’s match.
Keys said she is working to be more aggressive.
“I found that in the second set I got a little nervous and I felt like I became a little passive… I kept giving him opportunities to start attacking me instead of me being the one attacking.” dictating the point.”
Keys wanted to start the third set on a good note, and she did, earning an early break.
Kazakh Elena Rybakina left the Australian Open after her fourth-round loss to Madison Keys. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
Rybakina tied the score at 3-3, at which point Keys regrouped again, taking advantage of her opportunities to take the match.
“I did a good job of reminding myself that I had already won the first set and that I had time,” Keys said.
“So I didn’t have to panic, and it’s not like the match was going to be over if I lost the second set,” Keys said.
For her, consistency is key.
“I’ve had great years and tough years, but for the most part, I think I’ve had pretty consistent years,” he said.
Madison Keys says finding a routine when you’re on tour and never home helped her stay sharp. (Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)
“Basically, it’s hard to live in a lodge all the time, and I think that’s almost the hardest part of the sport, besides having to go out and compete every day.
“So I think just trying to have some kind of routine everywhere to make it feel a little more homey and have something to come back to when you’re never home, I think that’s probably been what I’ve been able to do. Pretty good.”
The next rival “is not the classic Svitolina”
If Keys is trying to incorporate more aggression into her game, so is her next opponent, Elina Svitolina.
The Ukrainian dismantled Russian Veronika Kudermetova in straight units, 6-4, 6-1, after coming back from a set down against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini in the previous round.
Svitolina’s game has become more aggressive since some major changes occurred in her life, specifically having a baby in 2022 and the Russian invasion of her home country.
Elina Svitolina is in the quarterfinals. (Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)
And her rivals, including Keys, are taking note.
“I think it’s kind of an evolution of all of us as we get older and try to make some changes, and if you’re not having success, then maybe you should adapt,” Keys said when asked about her next opponent. .
“Honestly, I was very impressed. She was really going for it and really going after her shots… I definitely think it’s not going to be the typical matchup that we’ve had in the past.
“It was not the classic Svitolina interpretation.”
Svitolina has refused to shake hands with Russian opponents and is on a 7-0 winning streak against Russian players since the war began.
Svitolina said that although she doesn’t change her routine before those matches, she spoke about the Ukrainian “fighting spirit.”
“I just feel like the spirit is different. “I’m really putting in everything I can,” he said.
“If I’m not going to win, I’m almost going to die on the field. I’m not going to let her win so easily. So I feel like this fighting spirit is really helping me get through these matches.
“It’s just about the associations I personally have with this country. It is very painful and very hard on my heart. So, of course, I have additional motivation for this.”
Charging…
Svitolina was devastated at last year’s Australian Open when she was forced to retire injured in the fourth round, ending her match against Linda Noskova just three games later due to a back injury.
Last year he cut his season short to undergo foot surgery in September.
“When you are a high-level athlete, you are a little worried about whether you can get back to the highest level, whether you can really advance afterwards,” Svitolina said.
“Now I have two screws in my ankle. It sounds scary. Yes, of course, you have doubts.”
Keys also reached the semi-finals here in 2022 and was a US Open finalist in 2017, losing to Sloane Stephens.
