Madison Keys overcame a second set demolition to claim a remarkable victory over sixth seed Elena Rybakina in a rollercoaster battle on Margaret Court Arena.
Extending her impressive run on the big stage, Keys defeated Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to secure her place in her fourth career quarter finals at the Australian Open.
Having fallen short to the world No.7 in their previous two meetings, Keys encountered almost every emotion against Rybakina in a bid to claim her ninth consecutive win to start 2025.
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Rybakina had a troubling run with her service game in the opening four games, which opened the path for Keys to surge ahead 3-1.
Landing just 53 per cent of her first serves, 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina could not find an opportunity to stop Keys' dominance as the American ran away with the set 6-3.
"I'm just getting excited. I think this could be the year for Madison Keys," former player Josh Eagle said on commentary.
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan plays a backhand against Madison Keys of the United States. Getty
But Rybakina's troubles were short lived as she returned to play a more aggressive style of tennis and take out the second set 6-1.
As Keys lifted the pressure and intensity in the third set, Rybakina's lower back problem, which she'd carried into battle, started to hobble her.
The Kazakh could not bend down effectively in an attempt to return shots and tried to maintain hold of the baseline.
A break point at 4-3 handed Keys a crucial advantage as she won the point to serve for the set.
"Her serve is such a weapon, so I knew that if I could just try to make at least some of her service games a little bit competitive, then I had a chance," Keys said post-match.
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"I was basically just trying to make anything that I could get my racquet on back over the net, which worked sometimes."
Keys noted her success on the Australian courts is one she hopes to continue, given she made her first grand slam semi final at Melbourne Park in 2015.
"It's hard to believe that it was 10 years ago that I made my first semi-final," she said.
"I'm really proud of myself today."
