Iga Swiatek‘s dominance on the tour continues. The five-time major champion easily won the Australian Open quarterfinal against Emma Navarro by 6-1,6-2, advancing to her seventh rand Slam semifinal. Swiatek is the youngest player to achieve this milestone since Maria Sharapova in 2006. Next, she faces world no. 14 Madison Keys for a spot in the final. She rallied past Svitolina in three sets. And, after the match, she cheekily recalled the epic 2024 French Open duel with Naomi Osaka. Was that also a reason to work with Wim Fissette?

Swiatek has already established dominance on the clay courts, winning four French Open titles in the last five years. However, her rise on the hard courts has been a little bumpy. She last reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2022, losing to Danielle Collins. This year, her run to the final four has been historic-only Maria Sharapova, Monica Seles, and Steffi Graf have dropped fewer games than Swiatek’s 14 on the road to the Melbourne finals.

Under the guidance of her new coach, Wim Fissette, Swiatek has elevated her tactical approach on the court. Fissette, who previously coached Naomi Osaka, has brought experience to her team. Speaking about Fissette in her post-match press conference, Swiatek said, “I think he’s really experienced because of that and he also knows like what I should work on. I would be pretty angry, you know if I wouldn’t have the last slam won because of Wim.”

Reflecting on Fissette’s working with Osaka at that time, and playing against her in the 2024 French Open Swiatek acknowledged, “Naomi played amazing tennis under him, and I felt that on the court when I played against her. When we started working together, I knew he was pretty good tactically, and it’s showing now.”

Who can forget that amazing match between Swiatek and Naomi Osaka in the French Open? When it seemed impossible to beat Swiatek on the red clay, Osaka showed promise of a comeback. She lost the first set in a tiebreak 7-6 and won the second set by dominating Swiatek 1-6, but Swiatek fought back and took the set 7-5 to win the match, that too with Osaka being up 2-5 at one stage.

Osaka was very close to beating Swiatek when she had a match point at 5-3 in the third set before she missed a couple of mid-court backhands and Swiatek was able to covert quickly for a breakpoint. Osaka then stepped back to the line to serve when the score was 5-5, she missed two game points and Swiatek fought through multiple deuces to break.

Now under the influence of Fassette, Iga has been unstoppable in the tournament. None of her contests have lasted over 90 minutes which is a testament to her precision and efficiency. The singles semifinals between Swiatek and Keys will take place on Thursday evening at Melbourne Park. Swiatek is keen to maintain her momentum as she chases her sixth Grand Slam title

Iga Swiatek Ready to Take on ‘Fast’ Madison Keys in the AO Semifinals

Iga Swiatek is aiming to go beyond her previous showing at Melbourne Park and reach her first Australian Open final. She leads Madison Keys 4-1 in her 4-1 in their head-to-head clashes, but Swiatek remains cautious of the American’s aggressive play style. “She (Keys) likes to play intensely and pretty fast, She uses her power, especially on a faster hard court. I need to be ready and be proactive,” Swiatek remarked.

Swiatek’s journey under Fissette’s mentorship has been transformative. This tournament marks her first Grand Slam alongside Wim Fasette. The Pole has already matched her best Australian Open result which she achieved in 2022. On the other hand, Keys is on a winning streak of 10 matches and has already bagged a title in the season in Adelaide. She has also beaten two past Australian Open runners-up, Danielle Collins and Elina Rybakina.

As the semifinals approach, Swiatek focuses on building success in Melbourne. With her eye on the title, she is ready to prove that her partnership with Fissette can deliver results. With her formidable talent and tactical guidance from Fissette, Swiatek is in with a chance to win her first AO title. Do you think she can pull it off?