WTA Madrid: Iga Swiatek survives bagel to overcome Madison Keys in 'weird' match and set up semi-final against Coco Gauff

Iga Swiatek roared back from being bagelled to beat Madison Keys and progress into the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters. Swiatek, the world No. 2, was drubbed 6-0 in the opening set of her last-eight encounter with the American, but she regained her composure to win the next two sets and set up a semi-final meeting with 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff, who overcame Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday.

Iga Swiatek is usually the one that dishes out bagels, so she had to really dig deep to fight back and overcome Madison Keys in Madrid.

The Pole needed an hour and 46 minutes to defeat the American fifth seed, who had exploded out of the blocks to stun the world No. 2 6-0 in just 24 minutes in the opening set.

Swiatek was broken three times in the first set, including in the opening game of the match, with Keys firmly in the driving seat in the early exchanges, converting her second break point to earn an immediate advantage.

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She continued that devastating forward momentum, capitalising on Swiatek's unforced errors to take a big step towards a second consecutive semi-final in the Spanish capital, having never made it beyond the third round in the years prior.

However, Swiatek had other ideas, and was able to regroup after the changeover.

She was finally on the board with a strong hold at the start of the second set, before breaking Keys to love to go up 3-1.

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The pair traded service breaks in the sixth and seventh games - the latter with Swiatek serving to level proceedings - before Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, closed out the second in style in 41 minutes.

Remarkably, 41 minutes was what it took for the Pole to win the deciding set, which she took 6-2.

After a tense first four games, it was the fifth that proved the match-winner, with Swiatek surrendering two break opportunities from 15-40 up to finally take her third and edge her nose in front for the very first time.

The pendulum had finally swung well and truly in her favour, and she resisted one final mini-fightback from Keys in the penultimate game at 4-2 to go up a double-break.

Serving for the match, she was thwarted on her first match point with some admirable aggression from Keys off the service return, but the US Open champion was felled at last, sending a backhand long to complete Swiatek's great escape.

The five-time Grand Slam winner looked relieved in her post-match interview.

"It was one of the weirdest matches that I've played," Swiatek said.

"Madi was playing perfectly at the beginning. I wasn't really proactive with anything. [Despite the bagel] I didn't think it was that bad. I felt like I was feeling the ball well; it just went super long sometimes.

"I just tried to play a bit shorter, put it in, and that [forced] Madi to make more mistakes. I started getting the ball back, and then the momentum changed, but I'm not sure why.

"[The bagel] didn't feel good. At least it's fast. That's the only positive thing. Staying on the court and having 0-6 [against you] is weird."

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Video credit: SNTV

There will be no resting on her laurels, with Swiatek set to face Coco Gauff in the last four.

That is after the 2023 US Open champion beat teenager Mirra Andreeva, the seventh seed, 7-5 6-1.

On the other side of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka edged past Marta Kostyuk to reach the semi-finals in Madrid for the fourth time.

A tight match finished 7-6(4) 7-6(7), with the opening set lasting 84 minutes.

She will now take on Elina Svitolina, who conquered the unseeded Moyuka Uchijima.

The Ukrainian breezed to a straight sets victory over her Japanese opponent, winning 6-2 6-1.

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