By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, January 29, 2015
Serena Williams converted her ninth match point to subdue Madison Keys, 7-6 (5), 6-2, and reach her sixth Australian Open final.
Photo credit: corleve
Seven match points had come and gone in an electrifying all-American semifinal when Madison Keys delivered another power surge.
The unseeded teenager blasted a backhand return with such pace it knocked Serena Williams backward, erasing the eighth match point.
Williams was wobbled briefly, but answered resoundingly.
Thumping her 13th ace off the back wall, Williams wrapped up a pulsating 7-6 (5), 6-2, victory to advance to her sixth Australian Open final.
The five-time champion dropped to her knees in elation and relief, returning to the Melbourne final for the first time since 2010 while retaining her world No. 1 ranking in the process.
The first set lived up to its billing as an generational clash between current and future American champions. Williams restored order winning five of the first six games in the second. Then Keys, who spent this month announcing her arrival as a contender, simply refused to leave. She fought off seven match points with some massive serves and eye-popping shots, navigating through a long seventh game to hold for 2-5 before Williams finally created closure on her ninth match point.
Two of the most explosive servers in the sport combined for 25 aces and some dynamic all-court exchanges that left the current No. 1 convinced she'd beaten her future successor.
"She's such a great player, she's so positive," Williams said afterward. "It's an honor for me to play someone who for sure will be No. 1."
The top seed will face Maria Sharapova in the final. The second-ranked Sharapova swept 10th-seeded compatriot Ekaterina Makarova, 6-3, 6-2, in an all-Russian semifinal.
Nerves are natural for any first-time major semifinalist, but figured to be even more severe for a 19-year-old who had never been past the third round of a Grand Slam.
The only thing tight about Keys was the strapping wrapped around her left thigh, protection for a strained abductor.
Playing with a relaxed aggression from the first ball, Keys cracked a backhand winner to open the match. Williams felt the weight of the teenager's shots and was forced to counter off the back foot a few times as Keys won eight of the first 11 points for a 2-0 lead minutes into the match.
The younger American is the rare player who can match the 18-time Grand Slam champion's power on both serve and return. Keys snapped an ace down the middle for 40-0, drilling a backhand winner down the line for 3-1.
The forehand is Keys' kill shot, but she belted her backhand with vigor as well. The sound of Keys cracking a backhand crosscourt actually elicited a gasp from some in the crowd as she closed to 40-30 on Williams' serve. Serena showed guts going after a biting second serve that eluded her opponent, amplifying the hold with a firm "come on!" for 2-3.
Accelerating through her shots and hitting with more depth, Williams responded breaking back for 3-all. She won eight of the next nine points played on her serve for a 5-4 lead.
Keys pushed Williams behind the baseline taking a 15-30 lead in the 11th game. A resourceful Williams looped a rainbow lob winner and followed it up with an ace, eventually holding for 6-5.
Williams slammed an ace to open the tiebreaker and muscled an open-stance backhand return winner to earn the mini-break. Whipping a 124 mph ace down the middle for 4-1, Williams gained set points when Keys netted a forehand.
The world No. 35 is unsettling because she possesses jolting power to end points in a single swing. Keys cracked successive aces to save two set points. But Serena was in no mood for drama. On swing, one big service winner down the middle and an emphatic scream from the top seed ended the 45-minute first set.
The five-time champion erupted in a primal scream knowing the importance of a one-set lead against a dangerous opponent. Keys' forehand failed her at the start of the second set. Clanking three consecutive forehand errors she donated the opening break. Williams fought off a pair of break points to consolidate for 2-0.
Serena played a cleaner match — she committed 16 unforced errors compared to 39 for Madison — defended her second serve fiercely and played tougher tennis at crunch time. Keys double-faulted off the tape to drop serve and fall into a 1-4 hole. Seeing the finish line, Williams slashed her 11th ace to hold at love for 5-1.
Keys wasn't done. Digging in with defiance and playing bolder under match point duress, she saved three of the first six match points with aces and the seventh with an overhead that had the crowd roaring in support.
Fittingly, Williams ended a shoot-out with an emphatic ace and dropped to her knees. Keys was waiting at net with an extended hand, Williams gave her a deep embrace and for a moment the present and future of American tennis were one.