'She Was Scared': Iga Swiatek's Australian Open Loss Receives Brutal Analysis
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Former world No. 1 Justine Henin did not hold back when discussing Iga Swiatek's heartbreaking Australian Open semifinal defeat to Madison Keys. The Frenchwoman thinks she was scared during the match.
Swiatek and Keys' had a dramatic and lengthy battle in the second women's semifinal of the day on the Rod Laver Arena. Both players knew they were competing to face Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The Belarusian defeated Paula Badosa.
After much powerful hitting from Keys and dogged defense from Swiatek, the former WTA world No. 1 had a chance to close out the match at 6-5, 40-30 In the third set on her serve but dumped a shot into the net.
That allowed Keys to recover and win one of the most memorable Australian Open semifinals on a deciding set tiebreak. A shattered Swiatek was in tears as she walked back through the players' tunnel after the defeat.
While seven-time Grand Slam champion Henin can relate to the pain of losing tight battles on the most significant stages, she is paid by Eurosport to give her honest opinion, and that is what the 42-year-old did after Swiatek's defeat.
Henin believes that Swiatek was frightened of Keys' powerful groundstrokes, which prevented her from being in the correct strategic positions during the match. She also thinks the Pole was not in a good rhythm throughout the battle.
"Iga was tactically not in the right position, she was scared that Madison would put pressure on her. On hard courts, we know she can be in a rush and she has been in a rush a lot, not being in the good rhythm. She was scared of that match. She had match point and could have reached her first final here so it’s a big disappointment."
Although the words of a player as great as Henin should be taken seriously, some might think the analysis is slightly harsh since Swiatek mostly played at an excellent level throughout what was a high-quality match on the Rod Laver Arena.
Swiatek will probably reflect on a few moments when she could have been bolder and was worried about Keys' power, but the American deserves most of the credit for playing her best tennis and beating Swiatek.
Henin admitted that Keys reaching the final surprised her. The 29-year-old's superb level does not change the reality that beating the two-time defending champion will be the biggest challenge of her career.
"Wow, second final at a Grand Slam. We couldn’t have expected that, she is going to face the biggest challenge you can face at the Australian Open (Sabalenka). She will be prepared, but she will have to do a lot to win."
Keys also showed her ability to dig in and fight through pressurized moments in the quarterfinal against Elina Svitolina, coming from a set behind to win a thrilling battle against the Ukrainian. The former US Open finalist seems to have the mentality needed to perform in the final.
However, that mindset alone will probably not be enough against Sabalenka. Keys could need to find a performance even better than what she produced against Swiatek to secure her maiden Grand Slam title.
