Australian Open 2022: Ashleigh Barty sweeps Madison Keys off the field and storms into the final

“It’s unreal, I love the tournament,” said Barty after her next gala appearance: “It’s the greatest thing for an Australian to play in her living room.”

The two-time Grand Slam winner didn’t give the American the slightest chance in the Rod Laver Arena and put pressure on from the start. In Keys’ first service game, the world number one managed a break.

The US Open finalist took a long time to get into the match, but was rarely able to trouble Barty on her service games. Keys gave up her own service two more times in the first set. After just 26 minutes, Barty converted her first set ball to 6:1.

“She’s just in a class of her own,” praised Eurosport expert Barbara Rittner.

Barty dreams of a home win

In the second round, Keys was able to hold up better, but from her point of view, Barty let Barty break her again when the score was 2:3. The preliminary decision. After 62 minutes, the Australian converted her first match point to 6: 1, 6: 3.

Barty keeps fans dreaming of their first home win at the Australian Open since 1978. The Wimbledon winner went into the tournament as the big favorite, and the 25-year-old didn’t drop a single set on her way to the final.

In 1978, Christine O’Neil was the last Australian to win the home Grand Slam title. Barty’s best result in Melbourne so far was reaching the 2020 semifinals, when she lost to eventual winner Sofia Kenin (USA).

Barty meets Swiatek or Collins

Barty’s opponent Keys, number 51 in the world, had entered her second semi-final in Melbourne after 2015 with strong performances.

She had also convincingly beaten the co-favorites Paula Badosa (Spain) and Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic). But two-time Major winner Barty is well above the competition in this tournament.

In the final, the Australian will face either Danielle Collins (USA/27) or Iga Swiatek (POL/7).

(with SID)

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