Australian Open: Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins move into the semifinals
Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins have completed the semifinals at the Australian Open. The amazing runs of 36-year-old Kaia Kanepi and France's Alize Cornet have come to an end.
by SID / tennisnet
last edit: Jan 26, 2022, 06:37 am
Swiatek beat the experienced Estonian Kanepi, who eliminated German number one Angelique Kerber in the first round and is only 115th in the world tennis rankings, 4: 6, 7: 6 (2) and 6: 3.
Swiatek surprisingly won the French Open in 2019, and in Melbourne she is in the last four for the first time.
She had to work hard for more than three hours against Kanepi, was able to fend off eight set balls from Kanepi in the first set, but then had to make a comeback. She used her second match point with sensational defense when she anticipated several smashes from Kanepi.
Collins sensationally in the semifinals after health problems
In Thursday's semifinals, Swiatek meets Danielle Collins, who put an end to Cornet's strongest Grand Slam performance. The American won 7: 5, 6: 1 and is among the top four players in a major tournament for the second time. She had already done so in Melbourne in 2019, when she missed the final against Petra Kvitova.
The world number 30. Collins is the second American to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open. In the other semi-final her compatriot Madison Keys challenges top favorite and number one Ashleigh Barty (Australia).
"It's an incredible feeling, especially after some health challenges I've had," said Collins, 28. Last April, she had to undergo endometriosis surgery due to great pain, during which "a cyst the size of a tennis ball" was removed from her ovaries. The operation entailed a two-month break.
The unseeded Cornet, number 61 in the world, had reached the quarterfinals for the first time in Melbourne in her 63rd participation in a Grand Slam tournament. On her way there, the 32-year-old eliminated multiple Grand Slam winners Simona Halep (Romania) and Garbine Muguruza (Spain).
Kanepi had managed to reach the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments through her run in Melbourne - but she never managed to take the next step. With her first quarter-finals at the Australian Open, she will be among the top 65 players in the world again after the tournament.
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