By Lidia Kelly
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek’s hopes of reaching a first Australian Open final were dashed by American Madison Keys on Thursday but the Pole said she was still young and would come back stronger next year.
Swiatek squandered a match point at 6-5 in the third set, allowing Keys to battle back in the ensuing tiebreak and seal a 5-7 6-1 7-6(8) win but the 23-year-old was positive.
“I base my game on solidity and intensity, on control, and today it was hard for me to control the course of action and she also played very intensely,” Swiatek told Reuters.
“However, I’m still young and I have things to learn, I have different areas which I can develop, so I’ll try next year.”
The 29-year-old Keys is the second American Swiatek has lost to in an Australian Open semi-final after Danielle Collins ended the Pole’s dream in 2022.
Swiatek said she made far too many mistakes against Keys on Rod Laver Arena and hoped to draw lessons from it.
“I had less time to make calm decisions,” she added.
“It’s hard to say what exactly went missing because I know that I could have served better, for example, but I wouldn’t say that there was one specific thing that caused me to lose.”
With the defeat by Keys, Swiatek also lost the chance to reclaim the world number one ranking, with the loss ensuring defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will hold on to it for now.
Asked by reporters how much it hurt to not convert the match point, miss out on a first final in Melbourne and lose the chance to become number one again, Swiatek’s replied: “You have to experience that to know.”
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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