Madison Keys, one step away from a first Grand Slam title
Both players left the court for bathroom breaks ahead of the deciding set, adding to the tension as the clock approached midnight at Melbourne Park.
Keys had a huge opportunity at 4-3 to seize control in a tense battle, but Swiatek saved two break points before a superb sweeping winner broke Keys’ serve – the first break of the set – to go 6-5 up and put her destiny back in her hands.
However, the Polish star failed to convert a match point at the first time of asking, before double faulting to give Keys a break, levelling the match at 6-6, and forcing a 10-point deciding tiebreak.
There was so little between the duo in what had been a gruelling two-and-a-half hours on court, which Keys finally found her way through, taking the tiebreak 10-8 on her first match point opportunity.
The winning point roused an outpouring of emotions from both the victor and the Melbourne crowd.
Keys will compete for her maiden Grand Slam title on Sunday (26 January) at the Rod Laver Arena, in what is a second career major final, her first since the 2017 US Open final on home soil.
