MELBOURNE, Australia — Madison Keys is in the building.
With women’s tennis on the verge of an epic showdown between its top two players with the Australian Open title on the line, Keys, the 29-year-old American, crashed the party. She stormed back against Iga Swiatek to win their semifinal 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8)
Swiatek was aiming to play for a Grand Slam title somewhere other than the red clay of Roland Garros in Paris for the first time in more than two years, but she could not overcome an hour of uncharacteristically error-strewn tennis and a sustained surge from Keys.
Swiatek, the five-time Grand Slam champion and once-and-perhaps-future world No. 1, had little of the relentless efficiency of her other five wins during the fortnight. A match that always felt like it would be Swiatek’s to lose became that, after she went through a dip that lasted for the entire second set. It was marked by rushed forehands and tentative backhands, especially down the line, that couldn’t find the court or make their way over the net.
In the end, it was Keys’ grit that made the difference. Serving at 4-4 in the third set, Keys fought back from 0-40 and fended off four break points, any one of which would have given Swiatek the chance to serve out the match. When Swiatek did break and…
