Iga Swiatek kept her title defense at the Madrid Open alive by overcoming Madison Keys 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Swiatek, who is aiming for her first title of the season, made an impressive comeback after a rough start, avenging her Australian Open loss to Keys and improving her record on clay against the American to 4-0. The win secured Swiatek a place in her third consecutive Madrid semifinal.
The match began in a surprising manner, with Keys dominating the first set 6-0, a result that mirrored their recent encounter in Melbourne. However, Swiatek responded with determination, cutting down on her errors and finding her rhythm as the match progressed. She credited her ability to stay focused and adjust her game to overcome the tough start.
Swiatek’s opening set was a challenging one, as she struggled with her forehand and quickly found herself trailing 0-5. After a quick break to reset, Swiatek returned to the court and took control in the second set, breaking Keys twice to level the match. The shift in momentum continued into the final set, where Swiatek broke serve again to gain a 3-2 lead and eventually closed out the match with another break at 5-2.
In another part of the tournament, Matteo Arnaldi, who had previously defeated Novak Djokovic, earned his first-ever top-20 wins in a single event by defeating 16th-seeded Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 7-5. Arnaldi, ranked 44th in the world, will now face either Jack Draper or Tommy Paul for a spot in the semifinals.
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