MELBOURNE, Australia — Madison Keys is the first player into the semifinals at Melbourne Park after defeating French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-2.
Krejcikova took a medical timeout while trailing 5-2 in the first set from what might have been heat stress as temperatures topped 86 degrees. She appeared to be lethargic at times during a second set that lasted 35 minutes.
Keys will play either top-ranked Ash Barty or Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Barty and Pegula were playing a night match on Rod Laver Arena.
“I did really everything that I could with my team to just reset in the offseason,” Keys said courtside after the match when asked about this season’s resurgence. “I wanted to focus on starting fresh and new, and really just starting from zero, and not worrying about last year.”
The win continues a resurgent 2022 for Keys, who won only 11 matches in all of 2021. She has tied that mark now — five wins so far in the Australian Open, five while winning the Adelaide International 10 days ago, and a first-round win at a tournament in Melbourne the week before.
“It’s gone well so far,” Keys said. “I’m really proud of myself and so thankful to my team, and my friends and my family for helping me through what was a really tough year last year.”
Keys now has a date in the semifinals of a Grand Slam event for the first time since the 2018 US Open.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.