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Ashleigh Barty may have to go through two American players to capture her third overall Grand Slam title.
The 25-year-old is viewed as the overwhelming favorite to win the Australian Open women’s singles because of how dominant she has looked in the first five rounds.
The top player in the world faces Madison Keys 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 has 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
Barty holds a significant edge on paper because of her ranking and her form in Melbourne.
However, Keys should pose a challenge to the No. 1 seed because of her own recent play and history against the Australian.
The 26-year-old’s only victory over Barty came at the 2017 French Open, and she played a tight second set against her semifinal opponent at Roland Garros two years later.
Keys also has some experience to bank on for a match that will be played in front of a pro-Barty crowd inside Rod Laver Arena.
The unseeded 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 and that could play to her advantage in a difficult matchup with Barty.
The Aussie should be favored to win the match, though. She has not dropped a set in the tournament, and she has lost 17 games in 10 sets played. She dominated her quarterfinal win over No. 21 seed Jessica Pegula and lost just two games.
Barty is on a mission to win her home major to take her Grand Slam haul to three. If she wins the tournament, the U.S. Open would be the only major left for her to collect.
Keys will be lucky to force her rival 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
Swiatek and Collins will both be appearing 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, where the 27th-seeded American lost in straight sets to Petra Kvitova.
The two players have had one career meeting in the past, 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. She beat Alize Cornet in straight sets, which could give her an edge with the quick turnaround because Swiatek spent three hours on the court against Kaia Kanepi.
Swiatek lost the first set of her quarterfinal, battled through a second-set tiebreak and then took over in the third.
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.
The 20-year-old Pole carries the edge in Grand Slam experience after her French Open triumph, but that may not matter if she can’t recover well from three-hour quarterfinal clash.
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 reach her first major championship final.
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