World No. 1 Iga Swiatek continued her impressive form by reaching her second consecutive Mutua Madrid Open final on Thursday, dispatching American Madison Keys 6-1 6-3 in a one-sided semi-final showdown that lasted just 71 minutes.
The Polish star, who is aiming for her third WTA 1000 title of the season, dominated the match from the outset, breaking serve in the second game and never allowing Keys to gain a foothold. Swiatek’s relentless pressure and pinpoint accuracy proved too much for Keys to handle, as the Pole extended her winning streak to nine matches and remained unbeaten on clay in 2024.
“(I feel) really good,” Swiatek said in a courtside interview broadcast on Sky Sports Tennis. “I wasn’t really thinking about what happened last year, but for sure repeating this great result is a great thing and I’m going to have a chance to play a nice match in two days, so it’s really exciting and I’m happy overall with the whole tournament.”
Swiatek’s victory sets up a potential rematch of last year’s final, where she was defeated by Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. Should Sabalenka overcome former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the other semi-final, the two top seeds will face off for the title once again.
“As expected Iga Swiatek got off to a fast start and never looked back,” said Sky Sports Tennis commentator Anne Keothavong. “She was the better player in every department. Just had too much for Madison Keys, who did her best to try and live with her in some of her exchanges and there were some moments where you thought she’s going to blast her way past Iga but she just wasn’t able to produce that kind of tennis consistently.”
Sky Sports Tennis pundit Colin Fleming added: “Iga Swiatek is the ultimate test on clay in the women’s game right now. Keys’ good stuff was good enough but it was just few and far between. She had three break points in the match but couldn’t quite take them but there’s no shame in that. “Swiatek is so relentless on this surface.”
The Mutua Madrid Open will serve as a key preparation event for the upcoming French Open, the second Grand Slam of the season, which will be held at Roland Garros from May 26th. Swiatek will be one of the favorites to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, as she seeks to defend her title and extend her dominance on the red dirt.
